Summary

The next chapter is titled “vows.” As this chapter begins, Doyle describes how, when she was first pregnant with her second child, she originally thought she did not want to know its gender. But then, when she got home and had a chance to sit quietly with herself, she realized she did want to know, called the doctor’s office, and learned she was going to have a girl. This leads her into contemplation of the Hebrew term and concept of selah. The term refers to a comment or direction, written into music and text, as a kind of pause so that the reader or the listener can absorb the meaning and importance of what has just been heard. This, she says was her experience in the aftermath of the doctor’s visit. She then describes a walk she took with her son...