"I like a story that takes me to places I've never visited before - one with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, one that gives me something to think about long after I've finished reading it."

That's what a husband and wife should have - teamwork and trust."

"Becky just hauled off and poked that man with her fork!" (...) "But I did have a reason! I wanted to see if he was an angel!" The hobo's dark brows lifted. "A what?"

"An angel," she repeated. "Mama's always feeding strangers 'cause she says they might be angels. But you wouldn't take your coat off, so I couldn't see if you had wings under there."

"Life is very precious to God. That's why He made it so fragile and so short." "That makes absolutely no sense."

"Yes, it does. He made it fragile so we would treasure it, just like He does."

"It's the heart that matters," Aunt Peanut taught me, "not what people look like on the outside. Some of the handsomest people in the world have hearts that stink worse than elephant manure."

"Look back on your life, Toots, and think about all the experiences God gave you - the good ones and the bad ones - and you'll see how they've shaped you into the woman you are today.

Accept those experiences as His daily bread. Thank Him for them. Then be the person He created you to be."

"But you need to marry someone who's going to work together with you, Eliza, like a team, not someone who tries to change you.

Watch how the Flying Falangas work together in their trapeze act sometime. They trust each other. They put their lives in each other's hands every day. And they're always there to catch the other person before they fall.

That's what a husband and wife should have - teamwork and trust."

"Springtime is God's promise that someday we'll all share His resurrection life! Our weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning!"

"... Our heavenly Father never forces us to serve Him... but do you know what? God really does know what's best for us. He created us. His perfect will is perfect for us, whether we can understand it with our limited minds or not. Even so, He allows each of us to decide: Will we choose our own way or maybe society's way - and end up settling for less than perfection? Or will we let God take us where He has chosen - and be amazed?"

"Home is where your family is - the people you love and who love you. "