Debbie Robinson

“Our parents,” Leda said, “did not depend on us for their sense of identity. They had their lives and we had ours. Bless them.”
― Ann Patchett, Whistler

“Looking at those books now, the person I most wanted to read them to was Lucas himself: While a positive attitude yields positive outcomes, life’s deepest joys come not from those outcomes but from the practice of a positive lifestyle. Gratitude is the garden in which the flowers of positivity bloom. Look around right this minute. What are you grateful for? Make a list, starting with your health. If you’re not in good health, focus on what is working, because something in you is thriving: your eyes, your heart, your hands. Pick one thing and spend an entire minute feeling a sense of wonder for what you’ve been given. Next, think of a person you’re grateful for. Maybe it’s a child, a parent, a spouse. Maybe it’s not. Maybe it was your third grade teacher. Mine was Mrs. Smithson, who picked up leaves on her way to school. Every day she found new leaves, even if it meant taking a longer route, and the wonder she felt at the sight of those leaves spread to every student in the class.”
― Ann Patchett, Whistler

“Once we’re comfortable with death, we’ll do a better job with our lives.”
― Ann Patchett, Whistler

“People are art,” he said. “It’s enough to just watch the people.”
― Ann Patchett, Whistler