September 20, 2013
Okay, isn’t it ironic that the ONE male who put in for the book draw… WON!
Rick, my friend, you won! Email me your address (contact in the nav bar) and I’ll send the book to you. Or maybe I’ll drop it by the clinic. Rick is a PT I used to work with. Great guy with a great family. Thanks so much for your support Rick.
And to the rest of you, I wish I could send a copy to each of you! One winner never feels like enough. So please grab a copy on Amazon. It’s cheapest there right now.
And if you live local, come to our book signing event November 7th @ King’s English. 7PM. You’ll love this quaint bookstore. If you’ve never stepped inside, come for the ambiance, book nooks, and the children’s section! It’s fabulous!
All of the authors spoke for a few minutes about the chapter they contributed. Allyson started us off; so prepared with her typed notes and laptop. She spoke about acceptance. How it’s something you don’t do once. You do it over and over again. She had lots of wisdom to share.
Can you see what we had to use for the base for the podium? A high chair. Appropriate don’t you think?
I spoke about patience. And the power of words. How they determine the tone of our home. My tip? Talk to the hand… teasing. Actually, I’m telling the mud handprint story from Tuesday’s post.
I talked about managing our voice. How it is a matter of self-discipline. And how everything that leaves our lips touches the soul. It leaves an impress. Slowly, over time, we are fashioned into everything we have seen and heard. And so are our children.
Favorite lines I shared from a poem by Will Carleton, The First Settler’s Story:
Boys flying kites haul in their white-plumed birds;
You can call back your kites;
but you can’t call back your words.
“Careful with fire” is good advice,
we know;
“Careful with words” is ten times
doubly so.
April talked about optimism and her sweet mother who is struggling with dementia. Her words were honest and touching. And while I listened to everything she said, I have to admit I kept marveling over her long, luscious curls. Who gets to have hair like that in their forties?
My dear friend Rebecca came. She took most of these photos. Thank you Rebecca! Rebecca is also an old friend of April’s from their Boston days. (And Ellen, this Rebecca cameo is for you!)
Saren spoke about organization. Unfortunately (murphy’s mother’s law at work here) she left all her notes at home. As well as a stack of things she’d spent the day preparing. But despite having nothing to work from, she pulled it off beautifully.
Linda Eyre wrapped up the evening with a healthy take on perspective. She can speak from the other side of motherhood now, from a place of real knowing. She listed all the worries that plagued her as a mother. A worry for every child. Two of her children fought day in and day out. One couldn’t read until 7th grade. Another was painfully shy (Saren. Would you believe it?) She went through all nine children! And now, to her surprise, in every case, that worry has become that child’s strength. All of this was so comforting to hear.
Linda is the ultimate example of deliberate motherhood. I was reading between the lines (she did not say this) but the reason her children became who they did was because she cared, she was present, she recognized what was needful. Then she put everything she had into helping them become successful.
If you’ve ever met her in person, you know how incredibly down to earth she is. And compassionate. She looks you right in the eye and wants to know all about you, loves you instantly. Getting to know her through this process has been an absolute delight.
Visiting afterwards with Linda and Lori, a good friend of mine from study abroad in college.
We sold all the books we had on hand. There’s Koni (the woman behind the scenes that made this event happen!) handling the cash.
I met some lovely, lovely women that night. I really enjoyed getting to know the mothers who had come, how many children they had, what their strengths and concerns were, why they were there. It chokes me up to think of all the moms in this world who care. You are powerful! And I sing your praises when I think of all the good you are doing.
Happy weekend!
pkmilele
Love this Cath! Can't wait to pick up a book. I so want to be there on the 24th! I'm going to use your quote tonight in FHE. The tone is SO important. I agree 100%. I love you and you are such an example to me.
catharvy
Bec, your influence on your boys is gentle, positive, and full of light. They are so very lucky to have you as their mother. I love you.
Deb
I am excited to be there on the 24th! Such amazing women! Love you!
Tiffany
Your words were so powerful to me that night. I am going to print out the lines of the poem and hang it where I can see it to memorize. I need to INTERNALIZE your message more. So happy to know you! See you on the 24th.
catharvy
Deb – King's English had to change the date! I'll let you know. xo
Tiffany – And you had me laughing so hard. You were the perfect comic relief after all our seriousness. I have loved getting to know you. Yes, looking forward to seeing you in November, I hope!
Heather
Looks like a super fun birthday party and an amazing night at the book launch. I am so intrigued about what you said Linda Eyre shared – How each of her children struggled with something and their struggles became their strength. If you ever get a chance to share more about what she said I would love to hear. 🙂 This is a new idea to me that weaknesses can not only be overcome but can become strengths. Wow!