An unadulterated collective memoir, “The Magic Of Motherhood” is filled with witty and endearing accounts of the highs and lows of motherhood from the writers of Coffee + Crumbs, 10 different contributors. The narratives have catchy titles sure to pique interest should one decide to read the book in segments. It is interesting to peer into the lives of other mothers as they bare their souls, their weakness and their strengths, unabashed and yet full of dignity.
In a good way, this book became a reminder of my own journey and experience, something I have not thought on for quite some time and just lived in my lifelong role, a mother to a teenage son and an elementary-aged school girl. I don’t want to make it sound miserable because it is far from that, but life is not life without all of the “good stuff, the hard stuff and everything in between.” God has equipped you (if you are a mother) of bringing up a precious life in this world because He knows you are trustworthy and able to handle such a task. All the mothers in this book are testimonies of that.
While popular culture and pessimism for the future stigmatize motherhood as something to be avoided because it ruins the female figure and would pose as a financial burden, the second excuse I heard while being at an abortion consultation clinic, it is a relief to read that the very instance of motherhood became one woman’s redemption from the pit of unwarranted self-loathing (this particular woman in the book had a struggle with Anorexia). Motherhood afforded her the break she so desperately needed as she became immersed caring for the new life she brought into the world rather than her own petty insecurities. This does not sound like “a responsibility done out of compulsion” kind of thing. This is the dawning of the lifelong practice of putting others before oneself, a biblical definition of selfless love.
I could somehow relate to this woman’s story since before I became a mother (this was preconversion), I was extremely athletic, very skinny- too skinny for my own good, which came normally from all the activity, ate whatever I wanted without suffering the consequences on the scale (stress from motherhood, slow metabolism from aging and occasional overeating does this to anyone) who found no life in anything other than skating. I was also into recreational drugs and was a chain smoker. I cruised through NYC in my skates (skateboard, rollerblades whichever I felt like using) at night even until the wee hours of the morning fearlessly, feeling like I owned the streets (not the sidewalks!) with the wind blowing against my hair as I listened to my favorite music on my walkman.
As the reality set in that I was to become a mother, all that “dazed and confused” phase came to a screeching halt and it was a change that I surprisingly got accustomed to without kicking and screaming simply because it was divinely orchestrated that I had an encounter with Jesus Christ right before I found out I was pregnant which helped me quit my smoking habit cold turkey in the most crucial time of my son’s brain development as I was told. It was knowing that I was the bearer of another life into the world that basically helped me to get my act together. The change was what I would call the magic of motherhood unfolding right before my very eyes, and that was just the beginning.
Hardbound and sewn for durability, it has thick matte pages with pictures of scenes a mother would know all too well and highlighted quotes scattered throughout. It also comes with a built-in white ribbon bookmark and would make a timely gift for Mother’s day and for baby showers especially to new and expectant mothers who are nervous in the magical journey they are about to embark on.
[I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Booklook Bloggers]
