In The Happiness Project — or perhaps it’s in Happier at Home — I write about having an “area of refuge.”

Lately, I’ve been re-reading all of Willa Cather’s outstanding novels, and in O Pioneers! I came across a beautiful description of a moment that became an area of refuge for Alexandra and Emil.

This passage is so beautiful…it brings tears to my eyes every time. And if you read the novel, you realize even more deeply the significance of this memory for Alexandra.

I especially love it because of the Nebraska connection — both my parents were raised in North Platte.