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by Zibby Owens

That’s what books are supposed to do: connect readers to authors. Readers to each other. That’s why book clubs are so popular! It’s like that mural on Montana: ‘Stories are best when shared.’”

there are things in life you have to do, even if you don’t love every minute of them.

Life doesn’t usually fall apart dramatically like in the movies with

montage clips and boxes being packed and decisions made on the spot.

Life falls apart slowly. And just as slowly, we piece it together again. One itty bit at a time. Steps forward. Names changed. New

loves discovered. New homes built. Slowly, unsteadily, shakily, and yet, eventually, solidly rebuilt.

Marriage is a mix. Some days are warm, easy, loving. Other days you want to strangle the person because they’ve taken five minutes too long in the shower. But at the base of it all is trust, respect, affection, kindness.

“Maybe that’s the secret,” I thought. Maybe life was a little more out of my control than I liked to believe. Maybe things like writing or falling in love didn’t always happen exactly when I wanted them to. But once I stopped trying so hard to force them, the universe delivered. And the moments I least expected became the best stories of all.