Mother's Day

With Mother's Day approaching my emotions run the gamut - from the feeling of awe that I have for the opportunity I was given to be a Mom myself - to a sense of sadness that my own Mom can't be here to celebrate the day with me - to the gratitude I feel for having such a wonderful mother-in-law who treats me like she would her own daughter. I receive newsletters from Chicken Soup for the Soul since I've written stories for several of their books throughout the years, and this morning I received one for Chicken Soup for the Soul; Like Mother Like Daughter - Our 101 Best Stories. I'm honored that they included the story I wrote about my own mother that first appeared in Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul 2 several years ago, but also felt that familiar pang of pain that I've grown accustomed to since she passed away in 2003. Then it hit me...people all over the world will read about my mother - perhaps on Mother's Day or in the weeks following, and will hopefully be touched by her amazing courage and ability to preserve a sense of normality for a 9 year old girl, even at a time when her own life was in question.

What readers won't know, however, is that she herself lost her mother at around the same age I was in the story - and that her need to protect me from the realities of her illness stemmed from her first-hand knowledge of living through a similar situation herself. I was the lucky one - because she survived and lived to see her grandchildren, which was something we were told would never be possible. I completed Tales from a Dog Catcher and started the process of querying agents and publishers due in part to one of the last things she ever said to me. A request to finish my own book so she could "hold it in her hands". We ran out of time.

So, if you pick up a copy of this book for your Mom or your wife or for someone who loved you like they were your own mother - look for the story "Growing Up". I can't recall what page it's on - but I think you'll enjoy it.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone a bit early - for those Moms who are here with us, and for those who live on in our hearts.