“the missing piecemy breathmy heart my memory methe other halfthe missing half”

“No, books. She would have maybe twenty going at a time, lying all over our house--on the kitchen table, by her bed, the bathroom, our car, her bags, a little stack at the edge of each stair. And she'd use anything she could find for a bookmark. My missing sock, an apple core, her reading glasses, another book, a fork.”

“Blood of my heart, protection is thine.Life of my life, taking yours, taking mineBody of my body, marrow and mindSoul of my soul, to our spirit bindBlood of my heart, my tides, my moonBlood of my heart, my salvation, my doom”

“Her voice, unfolding like a tiny bright memory in the darkest, furthest corner of my mind.”

“Even lost in the darkness, my heart will find you.”

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be.”

“Aunt Prue was holding one of the squirrels in her hand, while it sucked ferociously on the end of the dropper. 'And once a day, we have ta clean their little private parts with a Q-tip, so they'll learn ta clean themselves.' That was a visual I didn't need. 'How could you possibly know that?' 'We looked it up on the E-nternet.' Aunt Mercy smiled proudly. I couldn't imagine how my aunts knew anything about the Internet. The Sisters didn't even own a toaster oven. 'How did you get on the Internet?' 'Thelma took us ta the library and Miss Marian helped us. They have computers over there. Did you know that?”