So, what did you get for Mother’s Day? I got three paper crowns, a picture of my son playing in nursery (from his nursery teachers) a back rub (it doesn’t get any better than that) and a really nice nap (okay, that was pretty good too.) And my mom gave me a gift book called “Mothers and Daughters: More Than 150 Heartwarming Quotes, Poems, and Anecdotes” compiled by Shelley Klein.
The author has gone through volumes of journals, novels, letters, and interviews to pull out quotes from women (and a few men) throughout the last two centuries who have had things to say about their mothers or the experiences they’ve had as a mother. We begin with a section entitled “Giving Birth to Love,” where we read such quotes as this one from George Eliot:
“Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.”
And this, from Jean J. Kirkpatrick:
“Truth, which is important to a scholar, has got to be concrete. And there is nothing more concrete than dealing with babies, burps and bottles, frogs and mud.”
Oh, that is so true. I haven’t had to deal with frogs yet, but I’ve dealt with any number of other creatures, and that will bring you down to earth faster than just about anything.
The next section is called “Toddlers and Tantrums,” and focuses on those years in between being a baby and a “big kid.” Contributors include Jane Walters, Mary Tighe, and Elizabeth Bowen.
We move on and up through childhood with our next chapter, “A Pillar of Strength,” which discusses a mother’s love for her child and the lengths she would go to for her little ones. I particularly liked this quote from Agatha Christie:
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”
Mama bears on the rampage!
Some of the quotes are from fiction, such as a glimpse into Scarlett O’Hara’s feelings for her mother in the Civil War-era classic novel “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, and later in a thought about Mrs. Bennet from Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Others are from nonfiction pieces, such as the excerpt from Nora Seton’s “The Kitchen Congregation – A Memoir.” Regardless of the source, fact or fiction, each quote rings true as it speaks of the special relationship mothers have with their children.
Dorothy C. Fisher included the thought: “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”
Contemporary sources were used in this book as well – I found quotes from both Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as from Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
I know Mother’s Day is past, but your relationship with your mom or with your daughter is timeless. If you’d like to read a collection of heart-warming thoughts and excerpts, why not give this charming book a try.
(This book was published in 2005 by Grammercy Books.)
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