Lya Luft draws on her own experiences of loss and gain in marriage and family to address the universal themes of childhood, love, and maturity. As children, the unconditional love we receive from our parents determines our expectations for all the other forms of love we experience later. And as adults, she argues, the complex task of loving another depends, initially, on self-love and self-esteem. Luft’s ardent reflections on existence and the human spirit are a powerful reminder to us all—we have lost everything only when we believe we deserve less than everything still to be gained.