Do not ask that your kids live up to your expectations. Let your kids be who they are, and your expectations will be in breathless pursuit.

Life is a series of tasks that you absolutely must get done before they don't matter any more.

We find things where we look for them.

Just once it might be instructive to pretend you're accepting an award for failure, just to see who you would thank.

A cat, after being scolded, goes about its business. A dog slinks off into a corner and pretends to be doing a serious self-reappraisal.

Through the blackest night, morning gently tiptoes, feeling its way to dawn.

No matter how reclusive we tend to be, we picture the after-life as a community of souls. It is one thing to seek privacy in this life; it is another to face eternity alone.