Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I’m referring to the book I finished last night, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, by Sonya Sones (yes, it’s really called that). Was it fitting that I finished it right before Mother’s Day–ok, technically very early Mother’s Day morning?  I’m actually thinking yes.  The mother in question dies before the book starts, forcing 15-year-old Ruby to move to the opposite coast to live with her father, who happens to be a famous actor (she is unimpressed).  It’s a book about coming to terms with grief and moving to a new town, and while I could see most of what happened coming quite a ways away, I rather think I was supposed to (or at least expected to).  Ruby is so stunned by the changes in her life, however, that you don’t fault HER for not seeing it sooner.  And she’s an entertaining narrator.  It does deal with some very contemporary teen issues, so I’d classify it as contemporary young adult for a reason, but it’s not explicit and those issues aren’t the primary focus.  Bottom line–I really enjoyed this book.  (I love verse novels.  Their brevity allows them to be poignant without being overwhelming.)  And the mother’s one appearance in the book is what sells me on it being a fitting book to review today.

By the way, I actually picked it up because I’d read another book by Sonya Sones–Stop Pretending:  What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy.  I read it long enough ago that I can’t give a detailed review, but I remember it being excellent.  From what I recall, it’s also appropriate for younger teens, although I can’t absolutely swear to it.  You should give it a try.

In the meantime, happy Mother’s Day!  I hope everyone out there who has ever mothered someone has felt loved today; I know I did.  My hubby and girls made me stuffed shells while I read truck books to the boy (“Big rig!  Tractor!  Garbage truck!  Dump truck!  Bus!”), I got coupons for hugs and other valuables that my 7-year-old made at school, hid on her bed, and has been excited about for days, and I talked to my own amazing mother for a few minutes (thank you, unlimited long distance).  It was a good day.  Not a perfect day, since my son spent much of church trying to break the sound barrier with his incredibly high pitched shrieking and my middle was ON ONE all afternoon, but motherhood is never about perfection, is it?  Motherhood is about love and gratitude for and doing the best with what we have.  It doesn’t bother me to do the dishes when I know my hubby and his herniated disk have already pushed it making the main course (standing and leaning are murder on his back).  And while I could cheerfully have strangled my two younger children at several different points today, I love them and I have them.  I have a mother and a mother-in-law who love me and love my kids, and I have a few treasured memories of my grandmothers.  I have also had over the years what every teenager and young adult needs–caring adults who are NOT my parents but have given me time, attention, and love anyway.  (At least one of those will never bear children of her own, but besides her two step-children, there are hordes of women in this world who knew her when they were teenagers and will never forget her influence in their lives.)  I’m not a perfect mother, but I do love my children, and I do my best for them (some days that best looks better than others).  I am just so very grateful for what my Heavenly Father has given me in my life.  May He bless all of you today!