Not Quite by the Book

by Julie Hatcher

Emily Dickinson had never married or had children, and she’d been brilliant. She’d found peace and beauty all around her. Why couldn’t I do the same?

That’s how people are. We share what we love with the people we love.”

Love is the little silver thread connecting all of humanity, around the globe, century to century, forevermore.”

But the right kind of love, that sort that comes from all that is good in oneself and based on true respect for their partner, will lift you to new heights of confidence, strength, and wisdom.”

Sometimes people find themselves in love with someone who doesn’t return their affections, but that does not invalidate the feeling, because it is always beautiful to love.

She believed that those we love never truly die. They live on in us and in our hearts. In that way, our love gave them immortality.

“I might be happiest surrounded by books.” I set a hand on my collarbone, melting a little at his perfect words. “Me too.”

It’s because I’m a glutton for punishment, a people pleaser, and terrible with rejection.

What kind of person embarked on a quest for happiness, only to wind up less happy than they’d ever been in their life? Oh, yeah. Me.

Sometimes the lies we tell ourselves are the most dangerous ones.”