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1 " We wanted a family so bad, all of us. And we just grabbed each another and made us one. Simple as that. "
― Cynthia Rylant , Missing May
2 " May was the best person I ever knew.... She understood people and she let them be whatever way they needed to be. She had faith in every single person she ever met, and this never failed her, for nobody ever disappointed May. Seems people knew she saw the very best of them, and they'd turn that side to her to give her a better look. "
― Cynthia Rylant
3 " One morning she happened upon a bit of cloth decorated with pictures of little red squirrels carrying small, brown,nutsacks,and she nearly fainted away. "
4 " Rain could show up at your door and teach you how to dance. "
5 " In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still. "
― Cynthia Rylant , In November
6 " A remarkable fact of nature is that problems almost always get solved just when they are meant to. And those who can help solve the problems almost always show up at the right time. "
― Cynthia Rylant , Gooseberry Park and the Master Plan (Gooseberry Park, #2)
7 " Sometimes a person really must choose between two good things. Two good things, thought Flora. I would choose the thing that involved a cat. "
― Cynthia Rylant , Rosetown Summer
8 " It is when we are most lost that we sometimes find our truest friends. "
― Cynthia Rylant , Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
9 " When the wicked want to bring down the innocent, they aim for a loving heart. "
10 " In November, the smell of food is different. It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a house in the morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog. Food is better in November than any other time of the year. "
11 " In November, the earth is growing quiet. It is making its bed, a winter bed for flowers and small creatures. The bed is white and silent, and much life can hide beneath its blankets. "
12 " In November, people are good to each other. They carry pies to each other's homes and talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider. They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal with one another and to give thanks for their many blessings - for the food on their tables and the babies in their arms. "
13 " But those with an evil heart seem to have a talent for destroying anything beautiful which is about to bloom. "
14 " In November, some birds move away and some birds stay. The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes. The birds who are leaving look very serious. No silly spring chirping now. They have long journeys and must watch where they are going. The staying birds are serious, too, for cold times lie ahead. Hard times. All berries will be treasures. "
15 " [May] understood people and she let them be whatever way they needed to be. She had faith in every single person she ever met, and this never failed her, for nobody ever disappointed May. Seems people knew she saw the very best of them, and they'd turn that side to her to give her a better look. "
16 " But what is it that makes a person want to stay here on this earth anyway, and go on suffering the most awful pain just for the sake of getting to stay? I used to think it was because people fear death. But now I think it is because people can't bear saying goodbye. "
17 " But I know now that you can't expect anything from anybody. If somebody loves you, it's because he wants to. And it's never because it's what he's supposed to do." —Pete Cassidy "
― Cynthia Rylant , A Fine White Dust
18 " In November, at winter's gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring. "
19 " And, finally, I know, too. That throwing away this mess doesn't mean I'm giving something up. Or losing something I can't get back. It's just that there are too many pieces and too much dust. I'm just ready for something whole." —Pete Cassidy "
20 " But he finally saw how pain caused one of two things: A reverence for life. Or killing. Both grew from the same seed. "
― Cynthia Rylant , God Went to Beauty School