“A Teddy Bear is for life - not just for Christmas”

“When she was gone, I went to the basement, found an empty box, and sealed the teddy bear and the NYU sweatshirt inside with heavy-duty tape. I started thinking about Leigh's ID bracelet and I imagined that one day, maybe years and years from now, I might open the box and say the same thing to my daughter that Leigh might say to hers: This was from a boy I used to know. He was very special to me, but that was so long ago.”

“But life was precarious and opportunities were never guaranteed.”

“Curly Girl: It's more than just hair, it's an attitude.”

“Sighing, she looked out at the fog. It was like life, preventing her from seeing what was beyond reach. She wasn’t unhappy. She simply felt that something important was missing from her life”

“To take from life what you can, while you can.”

“Life was a strange circle. She tried not to decipher it, but rather to accept it as it came.”