“I felt that I was really living in the moment. I did not know where my life was going, but right now the future did not trouble me.”

“I had done this. I had pulled my life apart. I would never, ever be safe again.”

“...I was not prepared for the feel of the noodles in my mouth, or the purity of the taste. I had been in Japan for almost a month, but I had never experiences anything like this. The noodles quivered as if they were alive, and leapt into my mouth where they vibrated as if playing inaudible music.”

“Growing up, I was utterly oblivious to the fact that Mom was teaching me all that. But I was instantly aware of her final lesson, which was hidden in her notes and leters. As I read them I began to understand that in the end you are the only one who can make yourself happy. More important, Mom showed me that it is never too late to find out how to do it.”

“...it was so rich and exotic I was seduced into taking one bite and then another as I tried to chase the flavors back to their source.”

“When a person has lived generously and fought fiercely, she deserves more than sadness at the end.”

“and he smiled when he saw me, as if just the sight of me had improved his day.”