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1 " He's horrible, Mama. Why didn't you give him away at birth? "
― Carolyn Brown , The Family Journal
2 " There is a time for all seasons,” he quoted Scripture. “A time to break down and a time to build up. You’ve had your time to break down, and now it’s your time to build up. Don’t punish yourself for what you didn’t do. "
3 " Grief was the same, no matter what caused it. "
4 " there was no room in a heart for both love and hate. She said that hate would soon eat up its half of the heart and want more and more until soon there would be no love left for anyone. "
5 " How did I fail my son so much that he’d betray what we believe? What great sin have I committed that I have to bear this burden? "
6 " Friends and family, and a man who loved her just the way she was. Life didn’t get a bit better than that! "
7 " God uses whatever is at hand to work His miracles "
8 " Guilt trips never take you anywhere. Her mother’s old adage came to mind. "
9 " Lily had two kids who’d disappointed her, but like Ophelia, she still loved them both—even if both of them had pulled some crazy stunts. A mother might not like her children at times, but she always loved them. "
10 " didn’t ask if you loved him or even if you were in love with him. I asked if you like him. "
11 " like him first and foremost, because that goes beyond all the rest. It’s what’s left when you’re old and lust isn’t there anymore for health reasons. It’s the glue that holds a marriage together, "
12 " my precious mama used to tell me that there was no room in a heart for both love and hate. "
13 " The goat boy never gloats. "
14 " I’m still a little bitter, but my precious mama used to tell me that there was no room in a heart for both love and hate. She said that hate would soon eat up its half of the heart and want more and more until soon there would be no love left for anyone. "
15 " What did I do wrong with my children? Everett tries to comfort me, but I feel like a complete failure. "
16 " I may never see my daughter again. My son says he has no intentions of ever coming back to the cursed south again. A part of me admires him for his conviction; the other part wants to shake him until his teeth rattle even though he’s a grown man. "
17 " The old blue swing looked lonely, like it was waiting to tell stories, and it could sure enough tell a lot. "
18 " Be sure not to wash your white things with red or you’ll have pink underwear. "
19 " Once a mother, always a mother, no matter the age or the era.” Truer words have never been spoken. "
20 " There is a time for all seasons,” he quoted Scripture. “A time to break down and a time to build up. You’ve had your time to break down, and now it’s your time to build up. Don’t punish yourself for what you didn’t do. Just put all that behind you and move forward. "