“See, I can talk to the pretty man like a real grown up if I try hard enough.”

“I appricated that Nell was talking to me like a grown-up, but I had no idea what she meant. Still, I could see that the words flowed together like water over a riverbed.”

“Last winter I tried to talk Jesse into leaving. Not anymore. I've grown to cherish the freedom, the openness of this land, the wall I plastered, the trees I planted. I can see God using me. Homesteading, building a community with people I care about...”

“I pull my lower lip all the way in between my teeth. If I try hard enough, maybe I can gobble my whole self this way.... I didn't try hard enough to swallow myself.”

“I think that I was quite a grown-up child, and I have been a pretty childish adult.”

“I decided that not talking is like a litmus test for a real friend. You can just sit there and be. Not always be filling up the air with words”