I got some new Lines We Love from Shelly. She doesn’t tell me why she likes them, but just tosses them out for me–and now you–to chew on. They are out of context and meant to be.

Here are two from Suzanne Berne’s A Perfect Arrangement.

“But I’ve always imagined having a big family. You know, a car full of kids. Big table at Thanksgiving. It’s just something I’ve always pictured.” Her voice trailed off.

In spite of himself, he nodded. A big family was what Mirella had always pictured, probably because she came from such a small one—father always traveling, the mother going with him, Mirella home with a housekeeper. Just for a moment he stepped into her picture himself and was surrounded by a fluster of voices right before dinner, children running up and down the stairs, dogs barking, a grandparent dozing in a rocking chair, while music played from different radios in different rooms, shoes scattered everywhere, and coats of all sizes fell off the coat tree.

I probably wouldn’t have picked this one out, but I know Shelly, and I can see why this would stand out and resonate for her. This is the life she dreamed of having, even back when I met her in seventh grade. No doubt she dreamed it before then, too. It is now the life she lives.

And from the same book:

It had always seemed to Mirella that her parents were completely mismatched, and yet she found herself wondering if her parents’ marriage had lasted—in fact prospered—because each had perceived the other as a mild lunatic, which allowed them to forgive all sorts of habits and tendencies that should have driven them both crazy.

Crack me up! Beautifully stated and oh-so-true. This is a line I might have singled out as well.

I know some couples like this. Do you? Are you part of a couple like this?

When you come across a line or passage in your reading that makes you stop and smile, think, nod in agreement, or shout out loud, please share it with us. My email address is in the sidebar, you know.