I don’t think there is much fear of your dying of grief as long as you can talk, Anne.
p. 161
It was said “unsympathetically,” but it was true. Anne’s talking was an extension fo her imagination, and as long as her imagination was working, real grief—the kind that does kill—would certainly be held at bay.
If only all who suffered from grief had an as-long-as. If only all sufferers had something from which sprang hope. Certainly Anne’s prior hardships and neglect had forged an optimistic determination that thrived despite the poor soil of her upbringing. But now she had been planted in the rich loam of Green Gables, and as long as she has a willing ear—however unsympathetic—real grief would be kept at bay.
A listening ear: a simple start in offering hope to a grieved heart.
Lingering Over Leaves 