“What am I waiting for, Emily asked herself. For each Saturday in Young in Heart to end? For Mrs. Conwey to die? For news from some college and a sense of what next year would be?”

“You don't wait and wait for the perfect person at the perfect time.”

“We all give meaning to each other's lives. As long as we live.”

“I always hated those classic kid movies like Old Yeller or The Yearling where the beloved pet dies. What would be so wrong with having those damn kids learn their lessons about mortality from watching Grandpa kick? Then at least the dog would be around to comfort them.”

“I gotta ask you...why do you always circle before you lie down?" I said."As opposed to what?" Johnny Depp asked, astonished by the question. "You mean not circle? How would I tamp down the leaves and twigs and get comfortable?""What leaves and twigs?" I said. "This bed is twig-free.""Hmm. I see your point," said Johnny Depp, pausing for a second before he resumed circling. "But did it occur to you maybe that's because I circle first?”

“Why do you always come in to kiss me while I'm on the toilet?" I asked."Makes us feel close to you," Chuck said, surprised I would ask. "Peeing is one of the special things we share.”

“Nor do I try to keep a garden, onlyAn avocado in a glass of water --Roots pallid, gemmed with air. And later,When the small gilt leaves have grownFleshy and green, I let them die, yes, yes,And start another. I am earth's no less.”