Delight of Children
Children don’t admire an orchid more than a dandelion.
— Alexandra Stoddard, Choosing Happiness, p. 36-37
Communication Skills are Overrated
Isn’t it funny how during the honeymoon period, understanding each other is seldom a problem. “Communication skills” are highly overrated. We don’t want to understand; that’s the problem. We can’t say to our dog or baby, “I want to give you a little feedback on something you’ve been doing lately,” and yet we get along with them just fine. I know two couples who because of an accident and a stroke can’t hear or talk but still are able to move past their problems and grow in love. Work on communicating better, but also work on dwelling in love, the place of true understanding.
— Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself, p. 48
Launching a New Adventure
The best changes occur in our lives when we’re nourishing and celebrating who we already are, when we’re giving ourselves room to be and opportunities to flourish.
— Lisa Sarasohn, The Woman’s Belly Book, p. 9
The Treasures of Darkness
Being in God’s presence is all about following after him through destruction and turmoil and discovering his treasures in the secrecy and darkness of our struggling hearts.
— Patty Kirk, Confessions of an Amateur Believer, p. 71
Knitting, a Miracle Worker
What non-knitters are missing is the personality-enhancing qualities of knitting. Knitting is a miracle worker. With knitting, people can suddenly do things they couldn’t do before. They can wait in line without becoming impatient. They can sit through a grade-school concert with a smile. They can handle long meetings and lectures, all without bothering other people or pacing around like lunatics.
— Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Knitting Rules, p. 11
He is Present
And yet, paradoxically, during those years of struggle, not believing in him, not seeing him, having no faith at all, I nevertheless felt him there. He was present in my anger. Present in my loneliness. Present in my world’s refusal to be what I wanted it to be, and present in his own denial of anything I wanted to make him into. Present. With me. Patiently waiting for me to turn and see him. And still I struggled.
— Patty Kirk, Confessions of an Amateur Believer, p. 67
So Different
If you’ve got someone who seems opposite to you in almost every respect, you’ve got the right person. In a sense, your partner is the repository of your rejected strengths. Forgive your partner and, together, you become whole.
— Hugh Prather, Spiritual Notes to Myself, p. 43
Knitting Isn’t Clutter
Knitting and yarn appeal to the senses. A project in the works smells good, feels good, looks good. Never feel bad about wanting it hanging around. Knitting is too beautiful to be clutter. A half-finished shawl left on the coffee table isn’t a mess: It’s an objet d’art.
— Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Knitting Rules, p. 11
You don’t have to hurt back.
Don’t attempt to justify whatever hurt you did, for that will serve to keep open your wounds. Don’t say, “I only hurt you because you hurt me.” Healing requires acceptance of the fact that You don’t have to hurt back, indeed that hurting back only hurts you more.
— Steven Stosny, You Don’t Have to Take It Anymore, p. 248
A Noble Profession
With the firestorm and controversy out of which The Higher Power of Lucky emerged unscathed, I am more than ever confirmed in my belief that librarianship is a noble profession, essential to free speech and free access for children. It is crucial to children’s ability to make sense of this fragile, battered world — the world we’re handing over to them. I’m grateful to have spent thirty-five years promoting children’s books. It’s work you can look back on and know you made a difference in people’s lives, and as cliched as that sounds, I believe it profoundly.
— Susan Patron, Newbery Medal Acceptance Speech, June 24, 2007.