We’re away until January 4, but we’re re-posting some of our favorite pieces from 2015. Please enjoy, and have a happy New Year!A sentence goes viral—why?I recently discovered that a sentence of mine, written many years ago in a book that had enjoyed…

A mother-in-law joke twenty-eight years in the making.My first reader, best editor, and subtlest critic is my mother-in-law.I’ve known H.—as I’ll call her to protect her privacy and preserve her from unsolicited requests for advice—for about …