I Don't Know How She Does It

 I am a spinster (unmarried and childless) but I am an aunt and a grand-aunt. Yesterday, my seven-year-old grand-nephew and two-year-old grand-niece stayed the night with me. I love spending time with them, hearing about their lives, interests, jokes, and seeing their personalities. It brings much joy to my life. 

But by the next day, my mind is numb and my body feels like nothing more than melted butter. I always wonder how my niece does it every day. 

The sibling bickering (I remember them from growing up with an older brother), the frantic play, and the noise. That doesn't include helping with school, bathing, feeding and doing all the other stuff mothers do. 

I must confess that I have always been in awe of mothers. From my own to others who make magic happen during difficult times, who work full-time then come home to be a mom. I am in awe of the mothers who become pregnant and lose the child they yearn to hold. The mothers who birth a child that never takes a breath or the mothers who lose a child after hours, days, weeks, months, and years of loving and only to have their hearts shredded and their souls diminished. 

Motherhood is a fearful yet brave act that the world treats as a normal occurrence but is truly a miracle. And not just because of the life that is carried. To give your life to the betterment of another. To sacrifice, to have moments of great worry, great happiness, and everything that happens in between those moments. I am not that brave. But to all the mothers out there, I don't know how you do it. But as a daughter who loves her mother more than anything, I am glad you do it and thankful that you do. 

So, be kinder to yourselves. And give yourself a pat on the back and take a moment to care for yourself. You deserve it. 

Guest Blog: Lynn Rae- Listen to Your Mother #RB4U

Listen To Your Mother

By Lynn Rae

Moms have an incalculable influence in their children’s lives, both by their presence and in their absence. In my latest book, Playing the Part, two moms occupy a small but significant role in the plot’s unfolding. My heroine, Melanie, lost her mother while she was attending college. This necessitated her leaving school and returning to her small town since her father’s solitary income wasn’t sufficient to help her continue her education. She works odd jobs and takes care of her father, not daring to dream about making her way in the wider world again. Perhaps her life would have been less difficult if her mother had lived and been there to provide the support and guidance every young woman needs.

My hero, Thomas, is lucky enough to have a good relationship with his mother. He confesses the misunderstanding that keeps him from Melanie to his mom when he’s feeling melancholy at the family Christmas party. After a few insightful questions to gauge the quality of the woman her son loves, even if he doesn’t realize it yet, his mother takes action. She advises him in a no nonsense manner he should make the effort to contact Mel, at the very least to mend their strained relationship so each can move on. She then sends him off with encouragement and a basket full of leftovers, as mothers are wont to do.

Even though my characters are adults with independent lives, their mothers still make an impact on their decisions and futures. 

About Lynn Rae: Lynn Rae makes her home in land-locked central Ohio after time spent in the former Great Black Swamp, beside the Ohio River, and along the Miami and Erie Canal.  With professional experience in fields ranging from contract archaeology to librarianship along with making donuts and teaching museum studies, Lynn enjoys incorporating her quirky sense of humor and real-life adventures into her writing (except the naughty bits).  She writes sci-fi, contemporary, and historical romances. You can find her posting frequently on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lynnraewrites or at her webpage http://www.lynnraewrites.com/

Blurb for Playing the Part by Lynn Rae

Independent Melanie Sheraton has to hustle for odd jobs in her small town to eke out a living. When the opportunity to act as a driver for some movie folks comes up, she jumps at the chance to earn an extra paycheck. What she didn’t bank on was one of her passengers invading her imagination, something she resists since no movie star would ever be interested in her.

At a crossroads in his professional life, action star Thomas ‘Wheeler’ Locke is in Ohio for a role he hopes will launch his career in a new, serious direction. Instead of concentrating on his acting, he finds himself growing more and more distracted by his feisty driver and her irascible ways.

Dancing around the attraction growing between them, both Mel and Thomas struggle to maintain their distance as the time for filming grows short. Will a reunion at the movie's London premiere bring them together, or will their disparate lives keep them apart?

Mothers and Mother's Day

During the month of May we honor mothers and those who have nurtured us with a loving maternal influence.

The definition of mother is a woman who has given birth, raised a child or donated an egg that created a child, according to Wikipedia. That definition got me thinking about how things have changed in the past decade or so. 

There are now same sex marriages where two women or two men raise children. Just a few days ago, the news reported that scientists have created the first synthetic DNA in a lab. Projecting into the future, perhaps the day will come when synthetic wombs or cocoons exist, and the most vital physical role of the woman as mother—co-creating a new being—will become redundant. Will mothers be needed anymore?

The role of motherhood has changed considerably in recent times in the western world. There are fewer stay-at-home mothers always on call. The majority of moms are career women who juggle a job, motherhood, as well as being wife and lover to an equally busy mate. In most other parts of the world, women must conform to specific religious and cultural beliefs connected to motherhood. Life can still be hard for these women, and childbirth is a dangerous undertaking that carries a high mortality rate for both mother and child. A mother’s life is played out against a backdrop of lack, worry, disease and often intimidation.  

The emotional role of the one who plays mother in our lives is complex. After giving birth, nearly two decades are devoted to nurturing, protecting, teaching, giving and loving. This involves large doses of creativity, selflessness, sacrificing and giving.

Some of us have not had positive experiences with our own mothers, but almost everyone can remember a female who fulfilled some of these needs in our lives. An aunt or grandmother, or maybe it was a teacher or older lady friend.

I can’t close this post without honoring the one mother who nourishes us all, and gives selflessly no matter how much we harm her. Mother Earth, the ‘spirit’ of our beloved planet. We all share this one mother, so let’s do our best to honor her and give back to her in any way we can, by living consciously and letting gratitude ripple out from our hearts to hers.

Do you have a favorite memory of your mother you'd like to share? Do you write mothers into your stories?

 

GEMMA JULIANA is a multi-published author who lives in an enchanted cottage in north Texas with her handsome hero, brave teen son and a comical dog who is really a human in disguise. She loves making new friends and hearing from readers. Exotic coffee and dark chocolate fuel her creativity. She writes romance, mystery and suspense with a splash of the paranormal. You can buy Gemma’s books on Amazon.  

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