“Remember that stories are more than just words, more than fairy tales. They are magic.”

“When he looks into your eyes, tells you he loves you-and the pickled herring and onions are stronger than his voice-yet you still smile. You still want to be close to him. Yes, then you have found love.”

“With food, we feed our bodies. With family, we feed our spirits. And we are family.”

“Shared joy is double joy," he said brushing a tear from my cheek, "and shared sorrow is half the sorrow.”

“Mama. I chose you.”

“Mother didn't understand that children aren't frightened by stories; that their lives are full of far more frightening things than those contained in fairy tales.”

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”