“Mercy, but he smelled good. All piney and musky and manly. There should be a law.”

“One day at a time. Maybe it wasn't such bad advice. Despite what she'd learned in childhood, change could be good, right? If she could just let loose and let it happen. The thought sent a tremor of fear through her. She'd learned early to hold on tightly, to control her surroundings, her feelings. But control didn't buy safety. She couldn't even control her feelings, much less anything else. Control was a false foundation that crumbled and left her vulnerable. She didn't need to control. She needed to let go and trust God, and that was hard. But he was her new foundation. She pictured it beneath her, solid and unwavering. It would be okay.”

“He had no idea what missing was. Missing was lying in the dampness of your tears night after night. Missing was a constant hollow spot in the center of your chest. Missing was a yawning ache that was never satisfied.”

“For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people?”

“It's fear that makes an act courageous.”

“Go ahead and laugh! If you don't laugh, you going to cry ~ so laugh!”

“He was a man who knew he'd come in after a long day and had found his shade (Irma)”