People don't get to choose their family, but if you have the family you would choose - that's happiness.

Our ancestors derived less from life than we do, but they also expected much less and were less intent on controlling the future. We are of the arrogant generations who believe a lasting happiness was promised to us at birth. Promised? By whom?

What happened to Violet was terrible, and I__ not saying fate happens without blame. But when fate turns out well, everyone should forget the bad road that got us here.

Fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention.

My mother believed in God's will for many years. It was af if she had turned on a celestial faucet and goodness kept pouring out. She said it was faith that kept all these good things coming our way, only I thought she said "fate" because she couldn't pronounce the "th" sound in "fa

For what are the words with which to summarize a lifetime, so much crowded confused happiness terminated by such stark slow-motion pain?