“For joy, apparently, it was all Franny could do to hold the phone, even with both hands.”

“So we fell asleep holding hands. If married couples got to do this all the time, shit if I could understand how there were ever divorces, or even fights.”

“When bitterness and emptiness are all that remains, a person tends to hold on to them with both hands.”

“And when he did that, my hands curled into fists because I thought about touching his face like maybe I could catch joy in my hands and hold it.”

“Ev­ery phone call I get fills me with joy and ter­ror since this could be the case­work­er or the killer.”

“Hold on to what is good, even if it is a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it is a tree which stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it is a long way from here. Hold on to life, even when it is easier letting go. Hold on to my hand, even when I have gone away from you.”