One of my
favorite places to visit when I am online is Margaret McSweeney’s Pearl Girls website. There is
always something that inspires and encourages! So I was excited to join the
blog tour for her latest compilation, ‘Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith.’
Here is the
synopsis of this inspiring book:
Like
oysters, women often encounter unexpected grit during their everyday lives. In
response, God’s love and grace covers this grit and transforms the pain into a
precious pearl that leaves a layered, luminous lining within a shell: Mother of Pearl. This brilliant luster
is strong, lasting, and purposeful – just like the love, lessons, and legacies
left by the special women in our lives.
Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective
iridescence of motherhood. Margaret McSweeney presents a collection of heartfelt
vignettes from authors who communicate the importance of the unique
relationships between mother and her children, between granddaughters and
grandmothers and between children and the mother figures in their lives.
These
stories tell of the power of faith, prayer, and values, exploring coming of
age, the joy of becoming a mother, the importance of motherhood, the ways to
heal from a bad relationship with a mother and weathering the death of a
special loved one. Poignant and thought-provoking, the stories serve to
inspire, encourage, instill hope, and strengthen faith.
The
proceeds from the sale of Mother of Pearl
will be donated to organizations helping struggling women and children. The
charities include Wings (Women in Need Growing Stronger) to help fund the Safe
House in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for
schoolchildren in Zambia.
Here is the
biography of this book’s editor:
Margaret
McSweeney, a wife and mother, serves on the Leadership Advisory Board for Wings
(Women in Need Growing Stronger). She is the author of A Mother’s Heart Knows and Aftermath: Finding Grace Through Grief and coauthor of Go Back and Be Happy;
she also compiled the collection of essays Pearl Girls . Visit
McSweeney online at www.pearlgirls.info.
In ‘A Note
from Margaret about Pearl Girls,’ Mrs. McSweeney explains the purpose of this book and her group:
This
book is a compilation and celebration of women who were and are a mother of
pearl. May the lustrous stories written by some of the your favorite authors
bless you, strengthen you and remind you always of God’s iridescent grace.
The
purpose of Pearl Girls is two-fold: 1) Connecting with each other online and in-person; and 2)
Collaborating on projects for charity. Linked together as a community of women
who share a love for God, the Pearl Girls reach out to help other women and
children who are having a difficult time.
Two of my
favorite Christian authors – Suzanne Woods Fisher and Tricia Goyer –
contributed to this compilation. Suzanne’s entry is entitled ‘What is a
Grandmother?’ It features her characteristic good humor. Here she is reflecting
on the birth of her grandson, Blake:
I
felt surprised, too. How could my baby possibly have had a baby? How could I be
a grandmother? I had just turned fifty-one. Shockingly young! How could a kid
like me give up playing tennis three times a week to settle into knitting and
crocheting and Friday night bingo? And shouldn’t I alter my appearance to fit
this new label? Give up my jeans? Switch over to below knee-length calico
dresses, thick black socks, practical shoes, gray hair pinned in a topknot.
Think…Aunt Bee on Mayberry R.F.D. (pp. 89-90)
Very cute!
Grandmas don’t look like that anymore, do they?!
Tricia
wrote about ‘Adoption: A Mother’s Greatest Gift:’
The
sacrifice of adoption makes my heart ache, for I know on this Mother’s Day
another woman will be thinking about my daughter – her daughter. As I rejoice,
I’ll be crying tears for her. I’ll also be sending up prayers that God will
wrap His arms around her in a special way.
This
Mother’s Day, I cannot help but think about Christ’s sacrifice to make our
adoption into God’s family possible. Maybe it’s because just a few weeks ago we
were celebrating Easter, but I’m reminded anew that my gain required His loss,
His pain. The greatest love, it seems, is not shown with flowers, chocolate or
a diamond bracelet. The greatest love is shown when, because of your love for
another, your desires and comforts are laid down for the greater good of
someone else. (p. 92)
A mother/author with whom I was not familiar is Dawn Meehan. The title of her piece, ‘Having
Patience with Pink-Dog Days’ caught my attention! She writes with fun and grace!:
With
six kids, we’ve certainly had our share of adventures and mishaps. Sometimes it
seems as if I’ve failed this whole parenting thing. I continuously teach them
right from wrong and try to instill a good set of morals. I attempt to get them
to thing before acting, and to make wise decisions. And yet, they continue to
do things like paint the dog pink, shove candy up their noses, and jump off the
garage roof. Sometimes I want to throw my hands up in the air and shout, “I
give up!”
And
then I think of our father, our heavenly father. How many times has He told us
not to do something, only to watch us turn around and do it anyway? How many
times has He instructed us on how we’re to behave, only to have us do the
opposite of what He says? How many times has he forgiven us, only to have us
immediately make the same mistake again? If I were God, I’d want to throw my
hands up in the air and shout, “I give up!”
But
thankfully, He doesn’t. He forgives endlessly. He teaches always. He’s there
for us when we mess up time and time again. It somehow makes it a little easier
to forgive, and it reminds me not to give up on this parenting thing. Although
I’m pretty sure they’ll never learn how to replace the empty toilet paper roll.
I’ve definitely given up there. (pp. 130-131)
Margaret
closes out her book appropriately, giving thanks to her Lord:
And
thank you, Lord for your constant grace, love and patience. May this book be a
blessing to others and may the stories strengthen and encourage their faith and
draw them closer to You. Please be especially close to the women and children
who are seeking safe shelter through Wings and clean water through Hands of
Hope. Amen! (p. 155)
I really
love this book! I was not familiar with the majority of the ladies who
contributed to this compilation. It was nice to be introduced to these wonderful
women of God! I love books which give me the opportunity to read a few of the
entries before bedtime or when I have a spare few minutes. I thank Margaret for
putting this amazing book together for her readers – with proceeds going to
good causes!
This book was published by Inspiring Voices, a service of Guideposts, and provided by
LitFuse Publicity Group for review purposes.
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