For Every Mother: Celebrating All Stages and Ages of Motherhood

Learning the arts and sciences of mothering is the most rigorous course of study a woman can pursue, and the lessons don’t end when the children leave home! Each stage of motherhood is simply another season in a mother’s journey through time in which she grows as her children grow. In this touching and humorous anthology, beloved writer Janene Woolsey Baadsgaard describes the four seasons of motherhood — each one enjoyable and challenging in its own way. Along the journey, she explores the full spectrum of a mother’s experience — from the hazy first days of life with a newborn to the richness of becoming a grandmother and beyond. Illustrated with anecdotes from the author’s own life, each chapter contains thoughtful insights and hard-won wisdom that help mothers discover the real experts in their homes and find the true meaning of success in their family endeavors. Taken together, these short essays become an inspiring guide to help a woman survive and thrive through all seasons of motherhood and to cherish the season in which she stands.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
• SPRING
  Baby Blessings
  The Real Expert
  Master Teachers
  Somebody's Treasure
  The Greatest Power
  Winking Stars
  Mother Martyr Syndrome
  A Choice to Love
  Rushing
  Feeding Souls
  Can I Hold You
  Mitchell the Magnificent
  Here They Go
  Life Goes On
  Where Sweet Peas Come From
  Between the Notes
  Just One More Time
  Calen's Story
  Nursery Heroes
  Choosing Motherhood Again
  Finding Your Life
• SUMMER
  Watering Weeds
  Shopping at the Ultimate Store
  Acres of Roses
  Playing in the Symphony of Life
  Pets and Paradise
  Looking Good
  Matthew and the Brazilian Emerald
  Payday
  Worry-itis
  The Ultimate Career
  Winking at You
  Two Report Cards
  Growing a Mother's Heart
  Joshua and the Awesome Principal
  That Fat Cat in the Windowsill
  The Rooster at My House
  Emily and the Ladybug
  You're Invited
  Years Well Spent
  States of Grace
• AUTUMN
  Providing Comic Relief for the Masses
  Dear Son
  High School Angels
  Another Season
  What You Did Right Today
  Lessons from the Farm
  Recitals, Rescues, and Rewards
  What If I Weren't Afraid?
  Creating Visions
  It Matters
  Prince Logan and the Dark Knights
  Green Tomato Secrets
  The Gift and the Giver
  A Home for the Decades
  Wedding Woes and Wisdom
  January Musings
  Missing You before You Go
  Family Vacations
  Muddling Along
  What Matters More?
• WINTER
  Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
  Nose Prints, Lip Smears, and Fine Art
  Dear Daughter
  Learning to Say Good-bye
  Keep the Melody Going
  A Mother's Gifts
  Bridal Shower Philosophers
  Grandma's Birthday Letters
  On the Road to Fuddy-Duddy
  My Angel
  Super Libby
  Calling Jesus
  Picture-Perfect Christmas
  Being and Sharing Our Best
  The True Meaning of Success
  Growing Older
  Longing for Home
  Graduation Speeches
  How Brief Each Life
  Woman-opause
  M.O.M. Degree
AFTERWORD