“Children make prayers so thoughtlessly, building them up like sand castles—and they are always surprised when suddenly the castle becomes real, and the iron gate grinds shut.”

“We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We’re willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea.”

“It isn’t a perfect place. There are no perfect places. But nobody cares about perfection when there are sand castles to build and kites to chase, children that are being born, old hearts that are giving in.”

“Writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”

“She was supposed to build sand castles on the beach and put her toes in the ocean,” Madame says.”

“I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”