Holly Kennedy > Quotes

“..do you know that the first time I ever held you, I looked into your eyes and lost my heart? The same way I'm sure every father does when he holds his child for the first time. I knew then and there-right there on that very spot-that you were meant to be my little girl...”
― Holly Kennedy

“In a room filled with babies, you will know yours from his cry. You'll tilt your head to listen, and from the pitch and tone or jagged howl, you'll instinctively know if he has a wet diaper, a lost pacifier, or if he needs good now. Before long, you'll know his favorite colors, what he wants for lunch, what he'll refuse to eat for dinner, that spiders fascinate him, but bull frogs prompt nightmares, and how long it takes him to start complaining on a long car ride. You may even bet on it. And the first time you see him copy your husband, with a hand gesture, or a tilt of his head, your heart will jump into your throat, and for a few seconds, you'll fall in love with the man you married all over again.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“Any family can fall apart, Annie. It's those that manage to stay together after surviving what life throws at them that deserve a little extra respect.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“There were a few spots on every child that only a mother knows or cares about. One is the small indentation at the base of their neck where you press your nose when they're babies and you want to wrap yourself in their smell. Another is the tiny crease behind their ear, where you plant whispers like "I love you" or "Sleep tight" as they drift off at night, bum in the air and arms akimbo. These are the spots a mother is immediately drawn to whenever her child is sick, after she presses her face against his to feel for a fever, silently praying it's just a cold.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“My father gave me a penny tree when I wasn't much older than you are, and when he did, he said he believed everyone needs a special place to lick their wounds and regroup, somewhere that feels safer than anywhere else in the world. So that's what we're doing here today, We're nailing that penny to this tree because I want you to have somewhere to go that grounds you, an axis for your world to spin around, and a place that's all yours and no one else's-- for times when life throws things at you, Annie: things that test you and push you to your limits; things not unlike what you're going through right now. Only from now on, instead of running away from them, you'll have somewhere to think them through. Your own special spot where you can hurt in private when you need to be alone, and where you can weigh all of the pros and cons to make the decisions you need to make.”
― Holly Kennedy

“She understood now that knowing when to walk away and when to hunker down and refuse to leave were equally difficult decisions to make in a marriage; that going back didn't have to mean settling; and that the most fulfilling times weren't always before a storm, but sometimes long after the dust had settled, when you were able to lift your chin and see what was left standing so you could wrap yourself around it with all of the wonder it deserved.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“But I also learned a lot about life. And here’s what I know. It’s hard. Also, love can be confusing because when someone loves you, they don’t always say the words out loud. Instead, they might say something like, “What are you, Denny Voss?” and I’d say, “One of the best things that ever happened to you,” then that person would say, “You got it, cowboy!” Or someone else might say, “You’re worth ten of those other kids, Denny, and don’t you ever forget it!” and another person might say, “Buck up” and “Don’t be a pussy” and “Life is hard all over” and it might not sound like any of them are saying they love you, but that’s what they’re doing—you know it all the way inside your bones. I also know it hurts when someone you love dies, but I think it’s supposed to because if it didn’t they’d be easy to forget and who wants to forget all the louds and quiets about someone you love after they’re gone? Not me.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“Your dad used to say that our problems disappear when we laugh and I think he was right. They do, even if only for those few minutes while we are laughing.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“Why do people say trees are majestic?" --- "Because they've earned it. After a sapling's roots take hold, they spread out to give it strength. Then, unstoppable, those roots continue to grow, and after years of withstanding rain, hail, snow and every other environmental disaster you can imagine, it has a root system stretching as wide as the tree is tall in every direction. Take this one," he said tilting his head back & gazing up at her penny tree. "If you could dig up all the roots, they'd probably fill our town's swimming pool. These trees are humbling because we're so much weaker as human beings, so flawed in comparison.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Penny Tree

“Border Services and the CBSA responded to a call reporting a man who had jumped a farmer’s fence into Canada with a goose. It has been reported that Mr. Voss was allegedly trying to release the goose, a pet named Tom Hanks, back into Canada, where he felt it belonged because he believed the goose was sad and depressed living in the U.S.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“there are no rules about friends. Like, I’m pretty sure you can have as many as you want? Young or old, tall or short, fat or skinny—you just have to be careful to pick good ones, which are people who have the same kind of heart you do. That’s the most important thing.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“love can be confusing because when someone loves you, they don’t always say the words out loud.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“Angus says DOT is lucky to have me because there’s always lots of roadkill on the days I work and none on the days I don’t.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“Nana-Jo said I should always follow the rules, but sometimes I don’t. Also, when I get angry she said I should count to ten to calm myself down (never works) and if a situation goes sideways on me, I should take deep breaths to keep myself calm (never works). Then one day at the firepit I told Angus those things weren’t working for me and he took a drink of beer and said, “Well . . . instead of counting to ten or taking deep breaths, maybe try singing the”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“After I finished washing the dishes, I got George’s brush and his Papaya Mist deodorizing spray and I flipped him over on the Elvis rug so I could brush out the knots on his belly, same as I do every Tuesday, and George let me do it because he’s used to me brushing out the knots on his belly every Tuesday.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“For the love of God, if everyone just followed the rules, we’d be so much better off on this planet.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

“We share the job fifty/fifty: Angus drives the DOT truck and I do the roadkill pickups, which is easy if it’s a skunk or a raccoon or a porcupine but much harder if it’s a moose or a deer or a cougar because then I have to use the electric lift and none of the plastic bags they give us ever fit.”
― Holly Kennedy, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss