Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!



According to Hallmark, Mother’s Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the United States and the second most popular day for gift-giving. If my hometown is typical, it’s the most popular day for eating out. Every restaurant in town will be packed tomorrow.

I searched for some appropriate quotations to include in this Mother’s Day post, but frankly most of those I found just sounded as if I’d lifted then from a Hallmark card. Since this blog is devoted to romance writing and reading, it seemed fitting to turn to romance novels. I did, and I found some gems that speak to the truths about mothers, the good ones at least.





Mothers are willing to go to almost any lengths for their children.

In Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, the Duke of Perrin says to the heroine of her imperfect but loving mother: “‘Young lady, he addressed Gigi, ‘I hope you realize how fortunate you are, at your age, to still have a mother who would dance with the devil for you.’”

Mothers long for their children to find their HEAs.

In Finding the Dream by Nora Roberts, the conclusion to her Dream trilogy, Susan Templeton, a mother concerned about her daughter’s choices, says to her husband, “I want her to have her dream. I want her to have what we have. I want to believe that she’ll stand at the window, look toward the sea, with a man’s arms around her. A man who will love her and stand by her. A man who can make her feel the way you make me feel.”

Mothers don’t keep a tab of all they give their children.

In One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney, Rosalind, the heroine, says to the mother who adopted her, who has made her feel “warm and soft and safe”: “You have given and given and given. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

Hallmark also assures us that Mother’s Day celebrates not only mothers and grandmothers but also daughters, sisters, aunts, mothers of loved ones, friends, and any others who have played a mother-like role.  I think that list covers just about every woman—and probably a few men. So whoever you are celebrating tomorrow and whoever is celebrating you, have a happy day.

I expect to enjoy my lunch out after church, delight in my flowers, and reread The Lark Shall Sing, a gentle romance by Elizabeth Cadell that my mother loved.

How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? Are you among the 169,000,000 sending cards?

2 comments:

Quantum said...

I seem to be the only one posting!

Janga, may I have this dance.
You will never be a wall flower my dear, not while I'm still around! *grin*

Afraid my dear old mum has passed on now.
But repeating your Putney quote:
“You have given and given and given. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”

speaking bookwise of course. *smile*

Janga said...

Thanks, Q, my friend. You have saved me from giving a party that no one attended. :) I'll try to get a post up tomorrow that may invite more commentary.