Cíntia Mara

Well, I think there are some definite advantages to lingering on the girl side a little longer. Once we step over to the woman side, it’s not likely we can ever turn around and go back.

Sierra soon found out that life may be a river, but it’s not all a leisurely float. The section through the canyon may have been a slow and effortless ride, but no sooner were they out of the shadow of the great cliffs than the river took a turn to the right, and Mountain Bob instructed them to get their paddles ready. On his command, they were to paddle with all their might.

Yes, life consisted of whirlpools, pockets of dead water, and rapids. It was never the same for very long but always changing. She was changing too. Sometimes the best choice was to sit still and let circumstances take her onward. Other times, it was up to her to paddle for all she was worth.

“How did you know Grandpa was the right man for you and that you were ready to get married?”
[…]
“It’s a choice, you know,” Grandma said, peering through her bifocal glasses and looking steadily at Christy. “You get to know someone when you ask yourself, ‘Would I like to spend the rest of my life with this person?’ If the answer is yes, then you wait until you have a big argument. Or until something goes wrong, or he does something you don’t like. And when things are at their lowest, you ask yourself again, ‘Would I like to spend the rest of my life with this person?’ If the answer is still yes, then you know you’re in love.”

“That is it?” Grandpa spouted.
[…]
“No,” Grandma said defensively. “That’s only the beginning. You make one big decision and follow it up with a lifetime of little decisions that support that first one.”[…]”The real answer, Christina dear, is that when it’s right, you’ll know.”