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1 " I never read a romance novel. Maybe if I had, I might have learned a thing or two. "
― Sarah Morgan , A Wedding in December
2 " I can't sleep at night unless I've rescued at least ten trees and five maidens in distress during the course of my working day. "
3 " Haven't you heard?" He kissed the corner of her mouth. "The couple who half kill themselves in the shower together, stay together. It's a bonding activity recommended by therapists the world over. "
4 " Was this why she found it so hard to have a lasting relationship with someone? Subconsciously had she held back from experiencing that intense, terrifying depth of feeling? She moved through life with such purpose, she rarely stopped to reflect. Had she, somewhere along the way, rejected love?Maybe not love, but vulnerability. She’d rejected vulnerability. She witnessed it constantly in her work. The fear in the face of a relative, the panic in the face of a patient who felt life sliding out of control.Her experiences in her job had reinforced those same feelings of helplessness she’d experienced as a young child and she’d unconsciously wrapped her heart in layers of protection so that she felt the blows less.She didn’t like feeling vulnerable, but she felt it now as she looked at her sister. "
5 " But life goes on, right? You keep walking, even when your feet are bleeding and you can hardly stand upright "
6 " Family is important at this time of year. I love you," Maggie told Nick. "Have I told you today how much I love you?""Many times," Nick said dryly, and Rosie closed her eyes. "
7 " Welcome to Snowfall Lodge.""This is it?" She gazed at the sloping roof outlined by tiny lights. There was a deck and what appeared to be a Christmas tree in every window. Her spirits lifted for the first time in weeks. Even she should be able to heal in a place like this. "It's charming.""It's a cool place. But you're not staying here. You're staying in one of the tree houses in the forest."It was like being shown paradise and then being told your ticket wasn't valid for that stop. "
8 " Our role is to support, Mags, not fix. "
9 " perfect blue sky. Fresh snow dusted the trees and she felt the cold air freeze her cheeks. The first thing she noticed was how calm and peaceful it was. "
10 " Doing something for yourself doesn’t make you selfish. My students tell me it’s called self-care. "
11 " You keep walking, even when your feet are bleeding and you can hardly stand upright. "
12 " Do you ever read a feature praising a woman whose life is to care for her disabled child or parent with Alzheimer’s? No, you don’t. When someone talks about ‘achievement’ they’re talking about salary and status, not the fact that you actually managed to take a shower and change your clothes after being in the hospital with your child for two nights straight even though, believe me, that’s an achievement. You read about hedge fund managers who get up at three in the morning so they can get their workout done, use the gym, clear their emails and make a healthy breakfast for the whole family before putting in a full day of work in the city and returning home in time to read bedtime stories and then do another few hours of work before having perfect sex, three hours undisturbed REM sleep and waking up and starting again. You read about women who were at home with children and suddenly realized that if they started charging for all the cupcakes they made for their children’s friends and school events, they could turn their baking skills into a profitable business. "
13 " What you never read about is the millions of normal women who are struggling to hold it all together and don’t own a planner because we don’t exactly know what we’d write in one! "