“Nothing was easier to shatter than the fragile shield of an idealist.”

“....both had learned that everything could change in an instant, and that the heartfelt vows of people in love were fragile words that, once shattered, could cut so deeply you'd bleed forever.”

“The Mularkeys all saw love as a durable, reliable thing, easy to recognize... Love could be more fragile than a sparrow's bone.”

“He'd always had a joke for Francis in the confessional, a 'sin' that could be counted on to cause a young priest to grin behind the safety of the wooden shield. Bless me, Father, for I put tuna in the chicken salad.”

“Sometimes being a good friend means saying nothing.”

“When you get . . . to the end, you see that love and family are all there is. Nothing else matters.”

“Of course you can fall in love. You just have to let yourself. They don't call it falling for nothing. -Kate”