God bless the step each foot will take.
Of each dear child a staunch soul make.
Help them to grow to do Thy will
And with Thy love my children fill.

(~Thyra Ferre Bjorn, Papa's Wife)

They couldn't have known how deeply I was soaking in the words and the expressions and the testimonies and the laughter that surrounded me when I would perch on the edge of a breakfast room chair and listen to the grown-ups hold court. But I was taking it all in--and I've never forgotten.
(~Sopie Hudson, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, introduction)