“I've learned a lot this year.. I learned that things don't always turn our the way you planned, or the way you think they should. And I've learned that there are things that go wrong that don't always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I've learned that some broken things stay broken, and I've learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones, as long as you have people who love you.”

“But I'll tell you something else, too. Something I've learned, the hard way. I guess"—Gram laughed a little—"I'm the kind of person who has to learn things the hard way. You've got to hold on. Hold on to people. They can get away from you. It's not always going to be fun, but if you don't—hold on—then you lose them.”

“I've learned that humility is not such a bad thing, and that strength can be found through submission. I've learned that I am not always right, and that being wroing is not a bad thing, nor is it weakness.”

“I don't understand it any more than you do, but one thing I've learned is that you don't have to understand things for them to be.”

“...I've learned that doing what you think is right doesn't always make you feel good. For another, I've learned that sometimes you just have to keep on going when you want to do nothing but drop. And that just doing the everyday things, like keeping a shop running or getting up every morning, will keep the work going until things can straighten out again. And doing those things right every day soon becomes more important than the more pressing issues of the time.”

“I've really only learned one thing in my life. One thing, in my heart, as deep as the deepest ocean in the world; no matter how bad it seems, it will always get better, ALWAYS.”