Listen to Your Mother and a Giveaway!

I love thinking about the words of wisdom from my mother: "Don't be afraid to leave a man at the altar" and, "Anna, quit trying so hard." Each mom imparts something different to her kids, and in different ways. I don't know of any other mothers who gave angry, quarreling kids good china bowls, sent them out into the yard and wouldn't let them back in until the bowls were broken, and of course, the fight had morphed into laughter. My mom was pretty creative.

Eight months after Jack's death I was honored to take part in a spoken word event in Washington, DC called Listen to your Mother. I shared a piece I'd written about how very DIFFERENT I felt from others as a bereaved mother. You can watch the video here.



I was grateful for the chance to share my story, and I was blessed by the stories the other participants shared, either of mothering, or having been mothered. Each year since then, I have gone to the show and been inspired, usually though laughter and tears. This May the show will be in 39 cities and it is a wonderful way to celebrate motherhood.

And there's more exciting LTYM news! Today, a beautiful book containing essays from various Listen to Your Mother shows launches into the world.

Listen to Your Mother: What She Said Then, What We're Saying Now edited by Ann Imig plumbs the depths of motherhood.

I will treasure my copy, and I have another copy to give away to one of my readers! Enter to win here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The reviews are coming in and they are excellent. You can check the book out here:



I love hearing women's stories. Thank you for being part of mine!