And I know that God made the heart the most fragile and resilient of all organs, that a lifetime of joy and pain might be encased in one mortal chamber.

I always hope that readers, of my books, will take away whatever is most meaningful to them wherever they are at right now. It might be the message of love. Or what it means to really live. Or the role that emotion does - or does not play - in our lives. But I think ultimately, the thing I took away was the idea of surrender to God.

God has a story to tell about you. A major part of it is you telling yours.

The words, when they came to my heart, were so gentle, and familiar -- and so very sad: What is this you have done?

How mighty, how great the One must be, I thought, to send the heavens careening, and yet hear the cry of a single heart.