--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we can't find my sister, we know /…" description: "\"“When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand, / a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg" --- # When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the… ![“When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand, / a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her. / We know we can call Odella's name out loud, / slap the table hard with our hands, / dance around it singing 'She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain'…” quote by Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg) > ““When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand, / a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her. / We know we can call Odella's name out loud, / slap the table hard with our hands, / dance around it singing 'She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain' / so many times the song makes us sick / and the circling makes us dizzy / and still / my sister will do nothing more / than slowly turn the page.”” [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a sister is missing, the family uses playful rituals and songs to cope, turning anxiety into a shared, rhythmic experience. **In simple terms:** Family uses song and play to handle worry. Key Takeaway Use ritual and music to ease anxiety. Themes family loss ritual music coping Mood comforting introspective hopeful Type poetic narrative When to use this quote - hospital visits - family gatherings - therapy sessions - storytelling workshops Key Concepts grief processing shared rituals emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can shared songs help in stressful moments? - What other rituals bring comfort? A Different Perspective Rituals may not soothe everyone; cultural differences affect coping. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dizzy Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dizzy-sister-1926010/) [Kitchen table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-table/) [Know Odella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-odella-1926009/) [Odella Loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odella-loud-1926011/) [Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister/) [Sister Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister-know-994169/) [Sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sisters/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Turn the page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-the-page/) ## Related quotes > [When I want to think about what would be the right thing to do, the fair thing to do, the wise thing to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-i-want-to-think-about-what-would-be-the-right-thing-to-do-the/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“For the record, I said yes to lunch just to keep him from showing up every time my back is turned.” She sent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/for-the-record-i-said-yes-to-lunch-just-to-keep-him-from-showing-up/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“I don’t have a crush on her! Yet!” “Say no more, Dylan-whatever your middle name is-Blair!” “David.” “Whatever. By the power and duty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rea-lidde/i-don-t-have-a-crush-on-her-yet-say-no-more-dylan-whatever-your/) [Rea Lidde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rea-lidde/) > [“Do not be jealous of your sister. Know that diamonds and roses are as uncomfortable when they tumble from one's lips as toads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/do-not-be-jealous-of-your-sister-know-that-diamonds-and-roses-are-as/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Nobody could hold the same place in your heart as your sister. Love or hate her, she was the only person who grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-taylor/nobody-could-hold-the-same-place-in-your-heart-as-your-sister-love-or/) [Jessica Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-taylor/) > [Be kind to thy sister. Not many may know the depths of true sisterly love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-kind-to-thy-sister-not-many-may-know-the-depths-of-true-sisterly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you know somebody very well, like your grandmother or your baby sister, you will know when they are real and when they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-know-somebody-very-well-like-your-grandmother-or-your-baby/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The coolest thing is that my sister and I, you know, we've done what a lot of people have not been able to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tia-mowry/the-coolest-thing-is-that-my-sister-and-i-you-know-we-ve-done-what-a/) [Tia Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tia-mowry/) > [“Okay, sister mine, what do you know that I don’t?” She grinned at him. “Well, there’s that entire medical school curriculum, for one thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wynde/okay-sister-mine-what-do-you-know-that-i-don-t-she-grinned-at-him/) [Sarah Wynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wynde/) > [I'll turn the page on a growing empire of classified information. We'll protect sources and methods, but we won't use sources and methods to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-ll-turn-the-page-on-a-growing-empire-of-classified-information-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Steve Jackson is a born storyteller. He makes you sweat. . .and turn the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-franscell/steve-jackson-is-a-born-storyteller-he-makes-you-sweat-and-turn-the/) [Ron Franscell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-franscell/) > [It might seem like the end, but he didn't end your story.. or finish it. Him leaving was an invitation to turn the page,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-bullet/it-might-seem-like-the-end-but-he-didn-t-end-your-story-or-finish-it/) [Cameron Bullet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-bullet/) > [The benefit of writing a collection - as opposed to a novel - is that I'm able to have some version of the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/the-benefit-of-writing-a-collection-as-opposed-to-a-novel-is-that-i-m/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts. It is an adventure, a storybook with each chapter a new tale. An unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-mclaughlin/our-life-always-expresses-the-result-of-our-dominant-thoughts-it-is/) [Allie McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-mclaughlin/) > [The more I like a book, the more reluctant I am to turn the page. Lovers, even book lovers, tend to cling. No one-night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-more-i-like-a-book-the-more-reluctant-i-am-to-turn-the-page/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) ## More by Jacqueline Woodson > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I still love Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver and Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-still-love-carson-mccullers-and-raymond-carver-and-toni-morrison/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I'm usually working on several things at once. If I get bored with one, I can go on to another. That way, I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-usually-working-on-several-things-at-once-if-i-get-bored-with-one/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“That's all anybody is-themselves. People all the time wanting to change that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/that-s-all-anybody-is-themselves-people-all-the-time-wanting-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I don't know how women stop being friends with other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-don-t-know-how-women-stop-being-friends-with-other-women/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Who are you without your girls? I truly believe that. Who are you without the people who help you make sense of the misogyny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/who-are-you-without-your-girls-i-truly-believe-that-who-are-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“And freedom? Oh, freedom. Well that's just some people talking. Your prison is walking through this world all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-freedom-oh-freedom-well-that-s-just-some-people-talking-your/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I've learned about marrying poetry and prose and making both accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-ve-learned-about-marrying-poetry-and-prose-and-making-both/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right? —D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-re-a-part-of-me-you-re-in-my-heart-forever-and-always-all-right-d/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I wouldn't mind the early autumn if you came home today I'd tell you how much I miss you and know I'd be okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-wouldn-t-mind-the-early-autumn-if-you-came-home-today-i-d-tell-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > ['Another Brooklyn' came to me in this kind of dreamlike series of vignettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/another-brooklyn-came-to-me-in-this-kind-of-dreamlike-series-of/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“They're all inside of us,...past people and present people. And probably even the people we'll become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/they-re-all-inside-of-us-past-people-and-present-people-and-probably/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [When I was a kid, I got in trouble for lying a lot, and I had a teacher say, 'Instead of lying, write it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-in-trouble-for-lying-a-lot-and-i-had-a-teacher/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) [Explore all 237 Jacqueline Woodson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More Kitchen table quotes > [“Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed's knee as if nothing was going to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/zed-and-sky-had-stayed-behind-and-were-chatting-with-will-sky-sitting/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [“Let’s say you have an ax. Just a cheap one, from Home Depot. On one bitter winter day, you use said ax to behead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/let-s-say-you-have-an-ax-just-a-cheap-one-from-home-depot-on-one/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [“Every morning I sit at the kitchen table over a tall glass of water swallowing pills. (So my hands won’t shake.) (So my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanann-verlee/every-morning-i-sit-at-the-kitchen-table-over-a-tall-glass-of-water/) [Jeanann Verlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanann-verlee/) > [“How do you know when you're There, I had once wondered. Maybe you're lucky enough to notice the moment it's happening to you. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-hockley/how-do-you-know-when-you-re-there-i-had-once-wondered-maybe-you-re/) [Julie Hockley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-hockley/) > [It's home at the moment, sitting on my kitchen table. I don't think you can ever be happy with it - he scowls a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/it-s-home-at-the-moment-sitting-on-my-kitchen-table-i-don-t-think-you/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [“At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/at-the-kitchen-table-she-examined-the-glass-of-ice-each-cube-was/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [“He was serious. He didn’t want her to hold him close. He didn’t want to pretend she was his mother. He didn’t want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-anastasia/he-was-serious-he-didn-t-want-her-to-hold-him-close-he-didn-t-want-to/) [Debra Anastasia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-anastasia/) > [I started writing at the kitchen table after midnight. It took ten months to finish that first book; I sent it to a publisher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-started-writing-at-the-kitchen-table-after-midnight-it-took-ten/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/the-most-basic-and-powerful-way-to-connect-to-another-person-is-to-2/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [I want to focus on what are called kitchen table issues. You know, the ones that keep you up at night, like the cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-want-to-focus-on-what-are-called-kitchen-table-issues-you-know-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Even when I lost my job at CBS News, I set up shop in my youngest daughter's bedroom and started Brainstormin' Productions and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-storm/even-when-i-lost-my-job-at-cbs-news-i-set-up-shop-in-my-youngest/) [Hannah Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-storm/) > [“kitchen table, saying, “Do you see this?” She had brought some anti-Semitic propaganda, used in Nazi Germany, that depicted Jews with large hooked noses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-remini/kitchen-table-saying-do-you-see-this-she-had-brought-some-anti/) [Leah Remini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-remini/) > [When I was a boy, I'd hide under the kitchen table and wind string around the chairs. I have a sense now that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/when-i-was-a-boy-i-d-hide-under-the-kitchen-table-and-wind-string/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [“I've never heard of anybody getting rid of their prized Exile postcards, much less actually writing on them and sending them through the mail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/i-ve-never-heard-of-anybody-getting-rid-of-their-prized-exile/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [If they don't board and live by themselves, even in their second year they've got no lounge or kitchen table and it's a pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nisbett/if-they-don-t-board-and-live-by-themselves-even-in-their-second-year/) [Trevor Nisbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nisbett/) [Browse all 271 Kitchen table quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-table/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand, / a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her. / We know we can call Odella's name out loud, / slap the table hard with our hands, / dance around it singing 'She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain' / so many times the song makes us sick / and the circling makes us dizzy / and still / my sister will do nothing more / than slowly turn the page.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Woodson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she-is-under-the-kitchen-table-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kitchen table" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she-is-under-the-kitchen-table-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/jacqueline-woodson-1482_kitchen-table_when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she_978553.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we can't find my sister, we know / she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand, / a glass of…” — Jacqueline Woodson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jacqueline Woodson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When we can't find my sister,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she-is-under-the-kitchen-table-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-we-can-t-find-my-sister-we-know-she-is-under-the-kitchen-table-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```