Traditions are good. They give order and stability to our lives. But change is part of life, too. The secret is to find the balance between the two.

Happiness is something that comes from our own hearts, not from other people.

Faith is believing, even when you cannot see it.

"Why doesn't God do miracles like that all the time?"

"If we could understand Him, Esther, then that would make Him just like us, yes? Or make us just like Him. He would not be the Almighty One. As He said, 'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.'"

We should never stop searching for the people we love.

"One thing I have learned during these past few terrible years is that our grief and sorrow should be shared, not carried alone."

Penny didn't know how most mothers greeted their children in the morning, so she had said the words that she wished her mother would say.

Esther used to love studying the tiny black notes on a sheet of music, discovering the magic they contained and bringing them to life. She loved to create a story from the notes, making them say something happy or sad or playful or majestic.

She wished that, just once, her mother would look at her with love in her eyes instead of disappointment and stern disapproval.

She had wished for it all of her life, carrying the longing like a burden that grew heavier each year. But wishes seldom came true.