Mother's Day is not a biblical holiday but the Good Book might have been the first to laud the virtuous wife and mother. Proverb 31: 28 details … Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her…
Now, add to that, her mother, her mother-in-law and her gal-pals and you have a hint of the modern day publishing niche aimed at the gift-buyers for the May 13 holiday. This spring, shoppers will find books by daughters celebrating the faith, love, and wisdom their mothers taught them and moms encouraging each other in the fray of parenting and married life.
For folks who haven’t written their mothers lately, authors Kara Lawler and Regan Long have done it for them. Their book, A Letter for Every Mother, (FaithWords, April 3) is a collection of epistles to celebrate, inspire – and commiserate with -- mothers in every walk of life.
Never-shy celebrity Tyra Banks, model and TV host, and her mother, Carolyn London, share the lessons that inspired Tyra’s success in Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me about Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss. (Penguin/TarcherPerigee, April 17)
The Audacious Molly Bruno (FaithWords, April 17) was written by Bruno’s daughter, Marie Armenia, to celebrate her mom’s Godly – and hilarious – mentoring and encourage older moms to mentor their adult children with their wisdom and faith.
For the get-real readers who know how the seesaw of motherhood’s delights and disasters rocks in their lives, publishers offer books by moms (and one dad) for moms (and dads, getting an early jump on Father's Day).
In One Beautiful Dream: The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both (Zondervan, May 1) Jennifer Fulwiler, Sirius XM radio host on the Catholic Channel and a mother of six, shares how she learned to embrace everything that truly matters – with God’s help and a sense of humor.
Going Solo: Hope and Healing for the Single Mom or Dad by Robert Beeson (Focus on the Family, April 1). Beeson, founder of faith-based music company iShine Records, addresses the fears and exhaustion of single parenting and discusses how to gain strength and courage for each day.
Feeling imperfect? There are mom-books for that – offering solace in faith and welcome infusions of humor as well.
Jamie Sumner, in Unbound: Finding Freedom from Unrealistic Expectations of Motherhood (FaithWords, April 10) describes her journey through infertility and special needs parenting. He trip has not been easy, but Sumner found in the Bible stories of women who show her comfort, hope, companionship and triumph in releasing herself in God’s hands.
The Better Mom blogger Ruth Schwenk has a book by the same title (Zondervan, April 24) that contradicts the bless-the-mess trend. Instead, writes Schwenk, recognize that “just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us.”
Of course, what’s a list without something Amish. This Mother’s Day entry is a Charlotte Hubbard novel, A Mother’s Gift (Kensington, March) about a young Amish woman who struggles to be a stepmother — until an abandoned baby is left on their doorstep.
It will, as always, have a happy, faithful ending.
