Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith

For most people, a mother is someone who holds a special place in your heart.  For me, my mother and I had a somewhat tumultuous relationship at certain periods of my life due to alcoholism.  However, today she is one of my closest friends even though we live 400 miles apart.  No matter what curve balls life throws at you, your mother can be your greatest support and ally. Mother of Pearl is a compilation of stories from women you may know like Ruth Schwenk from The Better Mom, author Tricia Goyer, Amanda Bennett from Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett, and many more.  These stories about mothers, grandmothers, and even mothers in law who shared their love and faith will make you smile and remember your own warm memories with your own mother.  They are inspiring and heart warming and left me with a desire to be the best mother that I could be for my own children. They also reminded me that even the little things in life like baking cookies or cuddling together under a warm blanket and sharing stories, can show God to a child so we should be ever mindful of our time with them. Motherhood is more than a title--it's a special and unique relationship that can be cultivated and grown throughout a lifetime.  We should all treasure our mothers and these stories will help us to remember why. About the Book:  Like oysters, women often encounter unexpected grit during their everyday lives. In response, God’s love and grace covers this grit and transforms the pain into a precious pearl that leaves a layered, luminous lining within a shell: Mother of Pearl. This brilliant luster is strong, lasting, and purposeful—just like the love, lessons, and legacies left by the special women in our lives. Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. Margaret McSweeney presents a collection of heartfelt vignettes from authors who communicate the importance of the unique relationships between mothers and their children, between granddaughters and grandmothers and between children and the mother-figures in their lives. These stories tell of the power of faith, prayer, and values, exploring coming of age, the joy of becoming a mother, the importance of motherhood, the ways to heal from a bad relationship with a mother and weathering the death of a special loved one. Poignant and thought-provoking, the stories serve to inspire, encourage, instill hope, and strengthen faith. The proceeds from the sale of Mother of Pearl will be donated to organizations helping struggling women and children. The charities include Wings (Women in Need Growing Stronger) to help fund the Safe House in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for schoolchildren in Zambia. Meet Margaret:  Margaret McSweeney is a well-published author often writing online articles for Make It Better (the former North Shore Magazine) and freelance articles for the Daily Herald, the largest suburban Chicago newspaper. In addition, she has authored and compiled several books including A Mother’s Heart Knows; Go Back and Be Happy; Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, Mother of Pearl and Aftermath. With a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina in international business, Margaret became a vice-president in the corporate finance division of a New York City bank and worked there 1986–93. As founder of Pearl Girls, Margaret collaborates with other writers on projects to help fund a safe house for WINGS, an organization that helps women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, and to build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda through Hands of Hope. For the past 10 years she has served on the board of directors and leadership advisory board for WINGS. Margaret lives with her husband and 2 daughters in the Chicago suburbs. www.pearlgirls.info To read more reviews on this blog tour, click here.  To purchase your own copy of this book, click here. To celebrate the release of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith I'm hosting an evening of chat, laughter, and encouragement on Facebook! I've invited the Pearl Girl contributors to join us on the evening of September 4th. I'd be so honored if you'd come too! We'll be giving away a ton of fun stuff {books, gift certificates and a Beautiful Pearl Necklace set}. Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. We'll gather to connect, be encouraged and make some new friends! So RSVP today and then come back on September 4th (at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, and 8pm Eastern) and join us for the "Pearl" party. Let's share our stories and encourage one another. We'll also have an update from the charities involved with Pearl Girls, Wings and Hands of Hope. (See what others are saying about Mother of Pearl.) *I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to give a positive review. *