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61 " We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope . . . For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison . . . "
― Christina Baker Kline , A Piece of the World
62 " notice.” The false cheer in her voice is evidence of how "
63 " The most important qualities a human can possess are an iron will and a persevering spirit, "
64 " I like to be busy,” she says. “And useful. I think those are pretty basic human desires—don’t you? "
65 " ...when she thought her heart might pulverize like a shell into sand, I will find a way to keep going, no matter what happens. "
66 " Because we're older. And this is where we belong." "No it isn't. It is just where we ended up. "
67 " Babies pay no attention to the clock. "
68 " There are many ways to be crippled, I've learned over the years, many forms of paralysis. "
69 " ...wage an ongoing war with the elements...we have to push back against the unruly outdoors to keep chaos at bay. "
70 " Who are you, Christina Olson? he asked me once.Nobody had ever asked me that. I had to think about it for a while. "
71 " I sit on a rock, watching her. She seems better, I think. But now and then I see her staring off into the distance with a blank expression on her face, and it worries me. "
72 " All at once I am so tired of this-of the constant threat of humiliation and pain, the fear of exposure, of trying to act like I'm normal when I'm not- that I burst into tears. No, I am not all right, I want to say. I am fouled, degraded, ashamed, a burden and an embarrassment. "
73 " Here I am, there he is, connected by sky. "
74 " The truth is, when I'm immersed in a book I'm less aware of the pain in my unpredictable arms and legs. "
75 " When you live on a farm, everyone is uncomfortable much of the time. Too cold, too warm, dirty, bone tired, banged up, injured by a tool or hot grate - too preoccupied to worry much about each other "
76 " I hate her for it. For seeing me clearly, for not seeing me at all. "
77 " A store-bought trinket with no history, no story. I knew, deep down, when he gave it to me that he didn't understand anything about me. "
78 " We sit in silence, the air between bristling with words unsaid. "
79 " What she wants most-what she truly years for-is what any of us want: to be seen. And look. She is. "
80 " It's really none of your business... "