I closed my laptop, walked a dozen steps, and plopped myself on the bed, when the words _“I'm a big, big girl in a small, small world”_ appeared in my head, complete with a piano soundtrack. I didn’t know the artist, but a quick search led me to the ...

A late-night movie with Max wound up turning into a vignette about the weight of small words and how children teach their parents more than we ever imagine.

A couple of days back, I found myself thinking about names in fiction—how much weight they carry, how much they whisper before a character ever acts.