“What made Olive the saddest about the Gardners was that everyone wanted to be enshrined in someone’s memory. It was the only way of living on after death, really: in the minds of loved ones. Memories were the only things… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“Ah, selfish. There’s that word again.” Sherry smirked. “It’s been hurled at me many a time, because being a mother and wife is all about selflessness, see?” She imitated a perky, syrupy-sweet voice. “Giving up every molecule of your soul. If you want anything for yourself, you’re accused of being selfish. Marriage and especially motherhood mean being condemned to play… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share
“What good were fate and fortune anyway? If there was some sort of plan she was supposed to follow, it was unreadable to her… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“It was a lesson she was still learning. When she had first started nursing, she had taken every death personally, like she was losing her father all over again. Every patient lost under her care was a little piece of death she would carry around with her until the end of her own life. But the alternative seemed so unfeeling.… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share
“Not only was [her dog] a good companion, he was also like a permission slip to be more present in the world.” — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“It’s easy to point out someone else’s mistake, harder to recognize your own. Especially because most people—except the lucky few like ourselves—are forced to… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“She loved him, and she was going to do everything she could to get him back. She hadn’t come this far just to walk… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“I see you, and I suddenly forget why I was keeping score. That’s why I stayed away, I guess. It was a last-ditch effort… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“I can promise you that I could be sent back to live this year a hundred times, and I would always choose you. I… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“It’s like I’m trying to keep the bad away with one hand while holding on to the good with the other, and it just… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“She watched Sprocket rolling in the grass on his back with joyful abandon. That was why people loved dogs. Dogs embraced life and savored… — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
“She felt empty yet full, spent yet bursting with energy, drowsy yet wide awake. She felt love.” — Andrea Lochen Copy Share Image
![“Not only was [her dog] a good companion, he was also like a permission slip to be more present in the world.” quote by Andrea Lochen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2ea/andrea-lochen-35067_dog_not-only-was-her-dog-a-good-companion-he_1565842.jpg)
![“[A dog is] a bundle of pure love, gift-wrapped in fur.” quote by Andrea Lochen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1ba/andrea-lochen-35067_dog_a-dog-is-a-bundle-of-pure-love-gift-wrap_2571839.jpg)