These recent books from local publishers share encouraging experiences from, for and about mothers and women who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including humorous, spiritual and inspiring moments.
"REAL MOMS: Making it Up as We Go,” by Lisa Valentine Clark, Deseret Book, $16.99, 184 pages, (nf)
With wit and humor, Lisa Valentine Clark explores the vocation of motherhood in the recent book “Real Moms: Making it Up as We Go.”
Clark, whose background is in acting and who was part of acting/comedy/improv troupes, enjoys doing improvisations. She says parenting is like doing improv and parents don’t always know where things are going to end up, no matter how well-intentioned.
“I focused on keeping the kids alive and all of us as happy as possible,” Clark writes of the years when her children were young. She also learned to lighten up and not take herself quite so seriously. The mother of five also shares experiences and stories, along with lessons she has learned as she continues to navigate parenting and family life.
Clark also includes rants and other humorous asides throughout the book, which is fun to read as she shares the serious, lighter and relatable sides of being a mom.
“LIGHTEN UP AND LAUGH: Musings of a Mormon Mom,” by Kari J. Rich, Covenant Communications, $13.99, 158 pages (nf)
Kari J. Rich shares about 50 essays of humorous experiences from being a wife, mother and woman in “Lighten Up and Laugh: Musings of a Mormon Mom.”
From a failed Father’s Day present for her husband (a purple cellphone) to being a fan of the Osmonds to how the phrase “Let me know if you need anything” found her along a parade route with helium balloons, she shares the humor in situations that are best laughed at after the fact.
Each easy-to-read essay is only a few pages long, making the 50 chapters fly by in this engaging book where it’s easy for readers to chuckle and laugh.
Rich shows that life is full situations that can be, well, awkward or embarrassing, but that there is also humor in many of the adventures in life.
She is also the author of “Heaven Help Us! A Humorous Look at Womanhood.”
“A MOTHER’S GREATEST GIFT: Relying on the Spirit as You Raise Your Children,” by Heidi Poelman, Cedar Fort, $13.99, 159 pages (nf)
The inspiration for this book started with a comment from author Heidi Poelman’s mother-in-law when Poelman asked her about her parenting secret.
Part of the answer was learning to rely on the Spirit for guidance. That led Poelman to do more research on the Holy Ghost, learning to recognize it and following the promptings.
She shares her research, including scriptures and teachings from general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and experiences in “A Mother’s Greatest Gift.”
The first chapter is on motherhood and the second chapter focuses on the Holy Ghost — what it is and how to best recognize its influence — before she explores the ways the two are inexplicably interwoven. While not everyone’s experiences are the same, she encourages women to be open to the variety of ways the Holy Ghost can guide a mother.
“ETERNAL WOMANHOOD: Divine Attributes of Christlike Women,” by Richard J. Allen, Covenant Communications, $14.99, 113 (nf)
In “Eternal Womanhood,” author Richard J. Allen shares nine different attributes and, after a short explanation, gives three examples of each — one timeless, one less well-known, and another from LDS Church history or more recent.
For the attribute of divine majesty, the timeless example or “One Moment in Eternity” is Mary, the mother of Jesus; the lesser-known one or “Sisterly Echoes” are the mothers of the Stripling Warriors; and the modern-day example is of sisters Mary and Caroline, who helped save the uncut pages of the Doctrine and Covenants.
As he explores each of the attributes — including divine majesty, loyal love, abundant sharing, eternal light, noble leadership, gifted life, joyful conversion, attuned allegiance and heavenly peace — he cites scriptures and quotes from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also includes questions to ponder at the end of each attribute.
“Eternal Womanhood” offers interesting insights into many women throughout the scriptures.
Allen is the author or co-author of more than 30 books.
“I CAN DO HARD THINGS WITH GOD: Essays of Strength from Mormon Women” edited by Ganel-Lyn Condie, Covenant Communications, 198 pages (nf)
Seventeen women offer their experiences in dealing with struggles in their lives in “I Can Do Hard Things With God.” The experiences range from those with physical and mental health issues, financial and family struggles, and others under the category “Hard Times.”
Ganel-Lyn Condie, who compiled the essays, shares of her own struggle in the aftermath of her sister’s suicide and how she was able to find peace.
In each essay, the women are honest with their emotions and pain as they work through their unexpected and life-changing hard thing and also the blessings, both large and seemingly small.
The chapters end with encouragement from each of the women as they share lessons they’ve learned and how they’ve seen divine help in their lives — especially as many still continue with their “hard thing.”
“FOR HEART AND SOUL: Heartwarming True Stories to Feed A Woman’s Soul,” Covenant Communications, $14.99, 67 pages (nf)
“For Heart and Soul” is a gift-book style collection of more than a dozen encouraging stories that are interspersed with recipes.
Several of the contributors share about their mothers, including University of Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham, concentration camp survivor Kitty de Ruyters-Bons, author and speaker Lucile Johnson, authors Ed J. Pinegar and Janette Rallison, and Kerry Muhlestein, an associate professor of ancient history at Brigham Young University.
Jodi Marie Robinson and Johnson both share experiences they’ve had as mothers and in life in this compilation.
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