Finding Winn Dixie made Opal's life so much better. She learned about her mother, made more friends, becomes closer with her father, andsees people for who they are not what they look like on the outside. She doesn't judge people because of their pasts. Opal shows compassion and forgiveness. Their community becomes a better place.

I wonder if Opal's dad will let her keep this mess of a dog? Opal finds this dog in a grocery store and pretends to be it's owner. The dog is a mess and looked like a big piece of brown carpet that had been left out in the rain.

I picture Gloria exactly as they describe her. Old, big floppy hat, wrinkles, brown skin and no teeth. A quirky old lady.

You should see people with your heart and not with your eyes! Gloria asks Opal to tell her everything about her so she could see her through her heart instead of her eyes. Gloria was blind. Gloria truly sees people for who they are on the inside. People are sometimes judgmental about others based on their outward appearance.

Gloria whispers to Opal, "There ain't no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it." This reminds me of what my great-grandmother and I once talked about. She said, "If you love something let it go, if it comes back to you then it's yours, if it doesn't, it never was." Opal's mother left her when she was three and Opal is still hurting from her abandonment.

There are kids in our world with only one parent and sometimes no parents at all. It is very sad.

Together with Winn-Dixie, Opal made many friends in her new town. Opal is kindhearted and from the moment she met Winn-Dixie, she called him her own. She treated him like a person and he loved her back.

Together they collected stories from the many people they met over the summer. Opal sees people for who they are and in the end friendships were created.

When Opal first meets Winn-Dixie, he opens his heart to her by letting out a big smile which makes Opal want to take him home. He quickly becomes Opal's best friend. He listens to her and makes her smile. Winn-Dixie gives Opal love (just from a smile).

The preacher was also lonely as well because his wife left him and he only had Opal. Otis was lonely as well because he was arrested for playing music in the streets. Gloria was also lonely because she was known as a witch. Amanda was also very lonely because her brother, Carson, died by drowning in a swimming pool.

Because of Winn-Dixie, friendships were made.