Reindeer moss

Helen encounters reindeer moss early on in the book. She takes the moss because it reminds her of the lessons about patience her father taught her when she was a child. The moss is special because it can survive in any conditions. It patiently waits to get out of any dangerous conditions so it can recover and return to normal. The moss ends up reminding the character not only of patience, but also of her father.

Mint in the ice cream

After receiving news about her father passing away, Helen goes to have dinner with her friend. The waiter notices that she isn’t eating. When he finds out what happened, he brings her a cake with ice cream on top that has a piece of mint in it. Helen takes out the piece of mint and thinks about how it was plucked from the...