“But even if that happens – that doesn’t take away anything that happened before. The present. The fun you’ll have, everything you’ll learn about yourself. Nothing will take that away. So is it worth it? You’re damned right it’s worth it.”

“There is no right way to grieve; there is only your way to grieve and that is different for everyone.”

“The world is supposed to be full of possibilities, but they narrow down to pretty few in most personal experience. There’s lots of good fish in the sea . . . maybe . . . but the vast masses seem to be mackerel or herring, and if you’re not mackerel or herring yourself, you are likely to find very few good fish in the sea.”

“There are many different ways in which individuals express, experience, and adapt to grief. Understanding and accepting different ways of grieving lies at the heart of surviving your loss as a couple. Understanding is helpful but not absolutely necessary. Acceptance of your partner’s approach however is a necessity. If you have not reached acceptance, make it your first priority.”

“Just because we lost a life, doesn’t mean we have to lose ourselves. – Tamara Gabriel”

“We do not have control over many things in life and death but we do have control over the meaning we give it.”

“I’m realizing it doesn’t really matter if we have a happy ending or not. We’re happy right now. That’s the important part, right?”

“Grieving is intense and it is non-stop intense. Even if things are quiet, and you’re sitting there in your chair, kind of staring off into space, inside, the intensity is raging. – Lori Ennis”

“You alone caan create the change you seek. But how? By accepting things as they are, you allow yourself to make apt choices.”

“We know that whether something is considered beautiful or ugly is in the eye of the beholder. What’s more revealing is that the beholder’s determination of what is beautiful and what is ugly is a valuable insight into the soul and psyche of that person. The beauty and the beast are mirrors. It’s never actually about the object; it’s really about us. Every person, situation, and idea is an interaction between the observer and the observed, and therefore, a potential source of knowledge. Every encounter is an opportunity to learn, not just about the object but about ourselves. Every encounter is therefore an opportunity to evolve. If we pay attention!”

“Her thought drew being from the obscure borderland. She could not explain in so many words, but she felt that those who prepare for all the emergencies of life beforehand may equip themselves at the expense of joy. It is necessary to prepare for an examination, or a dinner-party, or a possible fall in the price of stock: those who attempt human relations must adopt another method or fail.”

“Those we love become our teachers whether we intend it or not.”

“We never belonged to a country we could sell out.’By the time Jeong-il made that declaration, he had achieved perfect grades and attendance for eight years running, could correctly pronounce ‘certainly’ in English, explain the present perfect tense, and read and write cursive letters. Not to mention he had never shoplifted, shaken anyone down for money, or gotten in a fistfight. He avoided people altogether. Jeong-il was always alone. Even the teachers didn’t know how to relate to him. None of my other friends tried to get to know him either.”

“I’m still me, I want to say to him, your son, but that would hardly help if I am currently everything wrong with the world.”

“One evening, we were sitting in his apartment, and he says, ‘Little friend, by now you know what I’m like. I am basically not a very convenient person.’ And then he went on to describe himself: not a talker, can be pretty harsh, can hurt your feelings, and so on. Not a good person to spend your life with. And he goes on. ‘Over the course of three and a half years you’ve probably made up your mind.’ I realized we were probably breaking up. So I said, ‘Well, yes, I’ve made up my mind.’ And he said, with doubt in his voice, ‘Really?’ That’s when I knew we were definitely breaking up. ‘In that case,’ he said, “I love you and I propose we get married on such and such a day.’ And that was completely unexpected.”