Moving On Quotes

“There’s a time in life when you are glad for having somebody watching out for you. Nobody cares what happens to you in the city, but here in Franklin folks are interested in everything you do. You can fault people for being nosy, sweetie, but if you fall off your tractor in Franklin, you won’t lay in your field hurting for very long.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“She was the kind of practical country woman who accepted fate, leaned on her faith, and got on with the business of living.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“The bright colors of the carnations, larkspurs, asters and delphinium, mixed with the occasional white of a calla lily, looked more festive than mournful. They were all beautifully fresh and absolutely dying, a terrifying reminder of how easily we pass from one realm to the other. How easily Corrine had.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“There was a time when it might have mattered, but I now found unmatched china to be remarkably insignificant. It occurred to me that I had never cared about such things as a girl. Nana served dinner on whatever was available. If a cup was broken, nobody threw out the saucer that went with it, because it made a good plate for a slice of cake. I was confident my guests would all appreciate a good meal and overlook a mismatched dish or two. There was fresh asparagus from my garden. Who could want for more?”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“I want to plant a garden, Dewey,” I said. “Can you tell me the best place on the hill to do it?  I keep trying to remember where Nana had hers, but none of the soil looks good enough to me.” “What you want to grow?” he asked. “Nothing much. Tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, some summer squash. Whatever the season isn’t passed for.” “I’ll come up tomorrow and string you a spot,” he said, “if that works for you. You might have to do some serious clearing afore you can plant, though. Almost too late for planting tomatoes, but the rest ought to do fine. You can have all the tomatoes you want from my garden. I always get more than enough.” “Thanks. If you have green ones, I’ll take a few tonight. I’ve wanted to fry some ever since I got home. Remember how Nana used to serve us fried green tomatoes and squash?” “Made the best cornbread in the county,” he said. “Her cornbread was like eating cake.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“What brings you down this way, Didi?” Nobody had called me “Didi” since I had left Franklin, although it had been Nana’s name for me always. It felt oddly natural to me, as if an acknowledgment that I was remembered somewhere and belonged.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“Now when I made my way down to the beach, Roscoe followed along. At the bottom, he would run up and down the black sand, bounding into the water and then out again, shaking himself dry only to run out once more. To my surprise, he seemed to understand the game of fetch. Our first time out, he found a stick of driftwood, began tossing it about, and then ran out and dropped it at my feet. Scooting up the beach, he glanced behind him as he went. When I made the connection and threw the stick, his joy seemed boundless. He whipped the stick into the air, threw it about a bit, then walked proudly back toward me with it pinned between his teeth. I laughed. The sound was eerie to my ears. It echoed against the cliff overhang and reverberated back. My first laugh in endless months brought me up short. Did I have the right to laugh or enjoy the day, for I realized I had, in fact, been enjoying the day very much up to that moment. We were one week into July and the sun was warm, but not blistering; the water was cool, but not cold, and it was clear. The gulls circled my head and rested on the cliff face, watching the water for their next meal. Roscoe clowned for my pleasure. Photographs of the day played in my mind and the sensation was pleasant.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“After so many years away, I had been afraid to return and find nothing the same, but I had been wrong. Nana was still here in the boards and bricks. For the first time since burying my children, I was not alone.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“he had been given the name of an excellent psychiatrist by a co-worker, and that he had made me an appointment for the following Friday afternoon.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“Breathing in the salty, swampy air made me sixteen again. If I closed my eyes tightly enough, perhaps Nana would walk up from behind and enfold me in her familiar embrace. I could almost feel the sharp edges of her bony frame and the sweet warmth of her breath on my neck. Nana, who had also lost a child, would know my pain.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“I had finally come to the place of parting; perhaps not the place of letting go as much as the place of acceptance.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“We laughed, and the sound of our laughter mixed into a heavenly potion and floated away from us into the night sky”
― Sara Steger, Moving On

“This was what is was to be alone. No wonder solitary confinement was considered such a severe punishment. Being locked away from everyone you loved was infinitely cruel. Still, solitary would only work perfectly if you first stripped the prisoner of his hopes and dreams. There must be no future on which to focus.”
― Sara Steger, Moving On