Mother’s
Day has always been a bitter-sweet celebration for me. Despite the fact that I have three wonderful
(now adult) children who rocked my world and enhanced my life from the day they
were born, a few tears are always shed as I think about my own mother.
I
lost her when I was in my teens, so Mother’s Day has always encompassed a visit
to the burial park. And a lot of
unanswered questions. Has she forgiven me those ‘terrible teen’ years? Would we have been friends as adults? Would
we have had mother-daughter spa days, luncheons, and out-of-town shopping trips
the way I do with my daughter?
Every
‘big’ moment in a girl’s life, graduation, my wedding, the birth of my
children, the publication of my first book, even my divorce, were always
missing something. (Read someone)
From
an early age, my children were aware of this loss and always worked hard to
make Mother’s Day full of special moments.
I have been spoiled with too many wonderful memories to count, but one of
the most memorable is the year they surprised me with a rose garden.
I
was working out of town and got home Sunday late afternoon to find they had dug
up a patch of weeds in the front garden and planted three rose bushes. The garden had a Mom’s Rose Garden homemade
sign. Each plant was signed with the
title of one of my published books.
Callie’s Honor, Anora’s Pride and Grace’s Folly. The waterworks flowed that day like never
before. Happy tears.
Years
later, they showed up at my downsized beach-side cottage on Mother’s Day and
announced they were going to the beach.
They arrived back laden with armloads of driftwood and promptly built me
the driftwood garden bench I had been yearning for.
Losing
my mother at any early age, I learned that life offers up no guarantees. It’s up to me to make every moment
count. Celebrate well and often. Make memories. Learn from my mistakes. And most important, tell my loved ones I love
them every single day because it might be my last chance to say it.
My
heroine, Rachel, in FABULOUS AT FIFTY, is a mother, a daughter, a sister and a best
friend, who finds her life turned upside down. I throw everything her way. Suddenly single and unemployed, she is forced
to reinvent herself at the same time her daughter comes into her own and
chooses an unorthodox path to motherhood, making
Rachel a grandmother. Meanwhile, her sister’s ‘perfect life’ starts to crumble and her relationship
with her own mother takes a twist. Four
generations of women! Did I ever have
fun!
FABULOUS
AT FIFTY
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And
have a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Kathleen
