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\n \n \n \n \n \n\t\t\n\t\tNot what you think... it's better!, May 03, 2012\n\t\tBy Billie, UT
\n\t\tBecause I thoroughly enjoyed \u201cLife Lessons from Fathers of Faith,\u201d I was eager to read this companion book dedicated to faithful mothers.\r\n\r\nAlthough both books have a similar look and feel, there\u2019s a discernible difference between the two. While \u201cFathers of Faith\u201d offers wonderful insights into fatherhood, it was clearly intended for a male audience. Alternatively the contributors to \u201cMothers of Faith\u201d are clearly skilled at sharing a depth of emotion that I found to be very welcoming and inviting. Collectively, the stories skillfully emphasize the unique blessings and challenges of being a Latter-Day mother. Best of all, it maintains a delicate balance between highlighting the challenges of being a faithful women, without crossing the line into the nauseating angelic accolades that discourage many mothers from attending church services on Mother\u2019s Day! \r\n\r\nKnowing that I enjoyed most every story from \u201cFathers of Faith,\u201d I decided to start reading from the back of the book. It was a stroke of brilliance! The final story is called \u201cHer Touch\u201d by Twila Wood, an English and Drama teacher from Smithfield, Utah. Thankfully I was alone when I read it, as her story had me bawling like a school girl. \r\n\r\nTwila\u2019s mother Nellie was a talented singer and devoted to her eternal companion. Twila also writes about how much she cherished her mother\u2019s tender touch. \u201cI remember you, Mamma, the kisses goodnight, the morning backrubs, my head in your lap as your fingers stroke through my hair\u2014your comforting hands.\u201d \r\nTwila then describes her mother\u2019s nearly decade-long battle with dementia, and her deterioration into an intolerable child-like state that eventually took a terrible emotional toll on Twila and her family. After years of enduring her mother\u2019s rude and insufferable behavior, God intervened to gave the two of them a brief lucid episode, where Twila and her mother shared a life-changing interaction. \r\n\r\nThis beautiful, inspiring story set the tone for the entire book, as each story had a unique or thought-provoking take on being a mother. With over 80 stories, all are well-written and inspiring, and most left me crying, laughing and often pondering my relationship with my own, dear mother.\r\n\r\nAlthough the stories from many of the well-known people are well worth reading, I highly recommend the story by Mark Allred, the chief trial judge for the United States Air Force. He described his mother\u2019s numerous struggles and challenges, and noted her \u201cnobility lies in the war she wages with her own shortcomings.\u201d I also recommend the stories by Steve Young, Janice Kapp Perry, Doug Wright, Susan Easton Black, Matthew Godfrey, Sandra Stallings Jenkins, Natalie Clemens, and Maren Rosemarie Slover. \r\n\r\nI also recommend that if you intend to give this book as a gift, please turn to page 310 where several blank pages are provided for you to write about your own mother. Regardless of which side of the veil she is on, when you write about her in this book it will be a priceless gift she will never forget, or it will be a treasure for your own children who will cherish this lasting legacy you\u2019ve written about your mother. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\n\t\t