A Mother's Book of Blessings: TLC Book Tour

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I am doing another TLC book tour, and JUST IN TIME.

Are you looking for a Mother’s Day gift?  Because, I mean, you SHOULD be.  Either for yourself or for, you know, YOUR MOTHER.

I am doing another book review as part of TLC book tours, and the book I read for today is an EXCELLENT gift.

As the editor explains in the lovely introduction, this book is both a collection of prayers and good wishes for mothers and prayers and good wishes that mothers can pass onto their children.  I wish I had discovered this book even earlier in my parenting journey because the sweet bedtime prayers—based on many different faith traditions—and the lovely holiday blessings are exactly what we have been missing in our tradition repertoire.

The book is broken into categories like holidays, bedtime, travel, marriage, etc, and there are blessings for every stage of your mothering life from the birth of a new baby to older children leaving the nest.

This one, for example, made me cry:

I absolutely love this for a bedtime prayer:

This one is the perfect thing to commission a calligrapher to make on a frame-able sign:

And did I mention there are transcendentalists?!  Because the book is brimming with Wordsworth, Longfellow, Emerson, Whitman.  Are those guys all transcendentalists?  I actually don’t think so.  But!  No matter. THERE IS POETRY is what I am trying to tell you.

Actually, this book made me realize—though its collection of blessings and lovely vintage art—that mothering is poetry, a helpful mindset in light of the midlife crisis I described for you last week.  While this book is really useful for specific occasions—next wedding toast I make, for example, will start with a quotation from this book—for me, I think it will work best as a way to guide my morning meditation.  I can pick a page—any page—and sit with the words or the images as a quiet inspiration for my day.

Here are the deets:

About A Mother's Book of Blessings

• Hardcover: 352 pages • Publisher: National Geographic (March 27, 2018) This beautifully illustrated keepsake contains more than 100 blessings from around the world that will commemorate life's special moments and encourage everyday reflection for the whole family. With ageless wisdom for every occasion, this elegant little book is the perfect gift for moms to share with their children -- and for themselves. Time-honored proverbs, enlightening parables, and inspiring poetry, illustrated with exquisite vintage art, encourage readers to contemplate and celebrate life's milestones. These uplifting words and their invaluable lessons, drawn from cultures around the world, will resonate with families of all walks. Whether commemorating a birthday, or celebrating a housewarming or a special holiday, this timeless treasure of 100-plus blessings provides guidance and encouragement for everyone: an enduring keepsake readers will turn to again and again.

Purchase Links

National Geographic | Amazon