The Book of Lost Names

by Kristin Harmel

But when you grow comfortable hiding within a protective shell, it’s harder than one might expect to stand up and say, “Actually, folks, this is who I am.”

He had taught her to love reading, one of the greatest gifts a parent could give a child, and in doing so, he had opened the world to her.

“Remember that God’s plan for you might be different than the plan you have for yourself.”

parents make all sorts of errors, because our ability to raise our children is always colored by the lives we’ve lived before they came along.

The path of life is darkest when we choose to walk it alone.”

You can’t judge a person by their language or their place of origin—though it seems that each new generation insists upon learning that lesson for itself.

we aren’t defined by the names we carry or the religion we practice, or the nation whose flag flies over our heads. I know that now. We’re defined by who we are in our hearts, who we choose to be on this earth.”