Looking at the pond, all I could think was that it is an incredivle thing, how a whole world can rise from what seems like nothing at all.

I wondered if he ever thought of me, and hated the pang I felt when I told myself he didn't.

One open, one closed. It was no wonder that the first image that came to mind when I thought of either of my sisters was a door. With Kirsten, it was the front one to our house, through which she was always coming in or out, usually in mid-sentence, a gaggle of friends trailing behind her. Whitney’s was the one to her bedroom, which she preferred to keep shut between her and the rest of us, always.

I watched my mother do what she did best, and realized there would never be a way to cut myself from her entirely. No matter how strong or weak I was, she was a part of me, as crucial as my own heart. I would never be strong enough, in all my life, to do without her.

Even if you do make tons of new friends,” I told him, “try not to forget where you came from, okay?

I knew that it wouldn’t last. It was just a moment, a perfect moment, as time stood still and fleetingly everything fell back into its proper place.

It's okay to accept things from people. It doesn't make you weak or helpless.