And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

by Fredrik Backman

“The only time you’ve failed is if you don’t try once more.”

“You never became ordinary to me, my love. You were electric shocks and fire.”

“You were never easy, darling difficult sulky you, never diplomatic. You might even have been easy to dislike at times. But no one, absolutely no one, would dare tell me you were hard to love.”

“I miss the dawn. The way it stamped its feet at the end of the water, increasingly frustrated and impatient, until there was no more holding back the sun. The way it sparkled right across the lake, reached the stones by the jetty and came onto land, its warm hands in our garden, pouring gentle light into our house, letting us kick off the covers and start the day. I miss you then, darling sleepy you. Miss you there.”

That’s why we get the chance to spoil our grandchildren, because by doing that we’re apologizing to our children.”

“We just need to be careful, does that make sense? With your grandpa. His brain … the thing is, Noah, sometimes it’s going to be working slower than we’re used to. Slower than Grandpa is used to.” “Yeah. The way home’s getting longer and longer every morning now.”

It’s a big universe to be angry at but a long life to have company in.