Sunday, November 11, 2012

"Journeys to Mother Love" Book Review

JOURNEYS TO MOTHER LOVE: Nine Women Tell their Stories of Forgiveness & HealingCompiled by Catherine Lawton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/COMPILER:
Catherine enjoys getting outdoors and observing wildlife in the Rocky Mountains and on the north Pacific coast. She cherishes moments of quiet reflection and communion with the Creator, laughter with friends, worship with other Christ-followers, and music-making with her husband (he sings, she plays piano). Born in Colorado, Catherine grew up in California, moving from one town to another as a preacher's daughter. With a BA in English and training in music, she has worked as a substitute teacher in public schools, a private piano teacher, and as a freelance writer and editor. In Journeys to Mother Love she shares a personal story of trauma, grief, and healing. Through fiction and memoir she explores the depths of our relationships with--and need for--God, each other, and nature. She sees life as a journey, an adventure, an unfolding story.

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS:
A.R. Cecil
Treva Brown
Verna Hill Simms
Kerry Luksic
Kyleen Stevenson-Braxton
Ellen Cardwell
Ardis A. Nelson
Loritta Slayton
Meet all the Contributing Authors

Visit the Journeys to Mother Love
BLOG
to read posts by the contributors, share the story of your personal journey, and find helps for healing in mother/daughter relationships.


BOOK INFO:
Paperback
224 pgs, 5.5" x 8.5"
ISBN: 9780981892955
Illustrated with Bl/Wh Photos
$12.99

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Mother love is a beautiful thing. But giving and receiving mother love doesn't always come easy. So many obstacles can get in the way. What do we do, then, with mother wounds and losses, and the unmet needs we carry? Women readers are sure to find themselves in one or more of these true stories filled with grit and grace. The courageous authors of Journeys to Mother Love aren't merely venting about their mother wounds. Neither are they giving pat answers. The hurts were real and the healing was real. From manipulation to abandonment, from neglect to favoritism, from mental illness to emotional distance, from abortion to Alzheimer's, these nine women from several generations, tell their personal stories with heart-wrenching honesty. Each had hurts and conflicts in their mother/daughter relationship that left them wounded and affected their relationships with others. Each tells how, with God's help, they experienced healing and new freedom to give and receive love. Women with broken places in their relationships with mother or child can begin their own healing journey as they read.

MY REVIEW:
     This is a beautiful book that would make a great gift for a special woman in your life - a healing tool to be walk women through different painful or hard times in their lives. Nine different women tell their stories about different issues many women may have with their mothers. Anger and frustration, unmet emotional needs, playing second fiddle, feeling inadequate, and more like abortion and cancer - these are just some of the topics they cover. It is like Chicken Soup for the Soul for mothers and daughters only so much deeper. If there have ever been times that you have struggled with your relationship with your mother, this book is for you. 

1 comment:

Catherine Lawton said...

Thank you, Janna, for this post and thoughtful review. Most people - if not all - do have struggles in relationships. The relationship of mother and child is perhaps the most difficult to talk about. It seems sacred, and really it is. But when we share our real relationship struggles or mother wounds in the context of God's healing love, there is grace and forgiveness and encouragement. I hope (and believe) that is true of our stories in Journeys to Mother Love. Thanks again and blessings to you!