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Rosemarie has never called me a name in her life.” As Faylene sat down next to him, she chuckled. “Not to your face, anyways.”
My thoughts were muddled, and all I wanted was a good, long sleep so I’d stop thinking for a while. I longed for silence. Peaceful, blissful silence.
around. “She’s disappeared.” Bow said, “She went out the
I’m all right,” I said as Mama prattled on, detailing another one of AJ’s triumphs. “
gin? It’s been a long week.” I couldn’t hold back a laugh—it had been the last thing I’d expected her to say. “No gin. How about wine?” “White?” “Coming right up.” I found
I want to create and design again. You see, I lost myself when he died, too,” Mama added softly. She didn’t need to tell me. I knew. Oh, how I knew. “In making all these life changes, I hope to find myself again, Natalie. A better me.” I also couldn’t recall a time when Mama and I had sat and talked
I understand now why you rebelled, and I am so very sorry, Natalie.” My chest squeezed. “I’m right here, Mama.
Pain changed people. I knew that firsthand—I’d said it about myself just recently.
mother. You’re already on your way.” 22 Anna Kate “Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Natalie as we found our places at the Sunday
looked like she was suffering. I was worried about her, especially after she left Friday afternoon without saying goodbye. “I’ll be fine,” Natalie said. “Ollie’s been watching
Seelie gushed over the photos had to sting.
She’ll get too comfortable here, and that
I’ve decided regret is like cancer. It eats you from the inside out, just the same. The haze of my anger evaporated
Sometimes people lie to protect the ones they love.
“All I know for certain is that the blackbirds were here long before I was, and they’ll be here long after I’m gone.”
The bread brigade is in top form.”
“It’s in the past and we’re focusing on the future,
My legacy, who I am, the person I am, is my family.
All of you will always be in my heart, and part of me will always be in yours. That’s a damn good legacy, if you ask me. Don’t you agree?”
You’re hurting because you love him. And the only way to get through the pain is to keep on loving him.
when you have a gift you should use it.”
Once upon a time, there was a family of Celtic women with healing hands and giving hearts, who knew the value of the earth and used its abundance to heal, to soothe, to comfort.
you gave me the gift of more dreams.
“That a person you love is never truly gone—they’re always there, whether it’s in a memory … or a dream.” Or in a heart.
All of you will always be in my heart, and part of me will always be in yours. That’s a damn good legacy, if you ask me.
You’re needing someone to blame to help ease the pain.
Because I hurt. Good Lord, I hurt. Because I didn’t know how to cope, other than to run away.
“There’s no rulebook on how to behave when blindsided with bad news,
Sometimes the truth was hard to hear. Harder to accept.
Forgiveness isn’t a science. It’s more of a feeling.
“It was a choice. I could either keep dwelling on what had happened, letting it define me, or take the valuable—and sometimes painful—lessons I’d learned from the relationship and move on.
It’s my belief that all Wicklow girls return to their roots—and their mothers—at some point or another.
For where your roots are, your heart is.
“I run away. It’s what I do when I can’t handle the hard times. Not only do I run, I also push away people who care about me. My therapist says I do it to protect myself—I remove myself from the painful situation. It’s taken me a long time to realize that running away doesn’t protect me from anything—it just takes me that much longer to deal with the real problem.
“The thing about families is sometimes they get angry and fight. Especially our family. But that doesn’t mean the love isn’t there,”
“The love is always there.”
love. It’s enough to carry us through our grief.”
“Love can see one through many challenges.”
“We’ve come full circle, you and me. Right now seems like the perfect time start a new circle. A new beginning.
“Sometimes, it takes almost losing something to realize exactly how important it is to you.”
Small towns. I was growing fond of them, too.
I’d become a hugger and a ma’am-er. How in the world had this happened? But … I knew how. Wicklow had gotten hold of me but good.
You need to own that truth, Anna Kate, or you’ll never be truly happy.”
“For where your roots are, your heart is,”
Blackbirds only made daytime appearances on the rarest of occasions. Today it had been to welcome me home.
He decided he was going to do what he wanted—not what other people wanted for him.
He chose himself. A burst of pride brought tears to my eyes. I’d followed in my father’s footsteps after all.
She’d been a nurturer until the very end.
“What is friendship, Mr. Pavegeau?” He lifted up our joined hands. “I think it looks a lot like this, Anna Kate.” “I think so too.” But to my eyes, it didn’t just look like friendship. It also looked a whole lot like healing.
Wicklow might have taken hold of me, but I was never letting it go.