“Teaching literature is teaching how to read. How to notice things in a text that a speed-reading culture is trained to disregard, overcome, edit out, or explain away; how to read what the language is doing, not guess what the author was thinking; how to take evidence from a page, not seek a reality to substitute for it.”

I’m glad God has all the answers, ’cause I barely understand the questions.

Motherhood: if it were going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor.

Attitude is the mind’s paintbrush; it can color any situation.

When we have hope, we are showing that we trust God to work out the situation. Trust is the only way we’re going to make it through and be a part of God’s marvelous plan for His child.

Kids can be a pain in the neck when they’re not a lump in your throat.

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.

Violets are God’s apology for February.

We can never untangle all the woes in other people’s lives. We can’t produce miracles overnight. But we can bring a cup of cool water to a thirsty soul, or a scoop of laughter to a lonely heart.

A lot of kneeling keeps one in good standing.

My karma just ran over my dogma.

Old florists never die. They just make other arrangements.

Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.

Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional

I don’t have to figure out why or how or when. God has a plan, and I’m committed to it. That commitment frees me from having to worry about the details.

If we give someone a piece of bread and butter, that’s kindness, but if we put jelly or peanut butter on it, then it’s Loving Kindness.

The secret of growing younger is counting blessings, not birthdays.