Glitter and Glue

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

This book is for mothers and daughters everywhere.

Author Kelly Corrigan writes a poignant and touching memoir revolving around her own life and the trials and tribulations of the mother daughter relationship, eventually coming to the understanding that perhaps Mom's words of wisdom have some merit after all.

"Your father is the glitter, and I'm the glue." How many times did Kelly hear those words spoken by her mother?  Far too numerous to count along with those endless quotes about every trivial event and circumstance in her life. And what in the world do those words mean? In any case, it's time to move on after college graduation. The adventure and glamour of Australia beckons Kelly and friend, Tracy, so they depart for the other side of the world.. Soon her savings account is exhausted and she finds herself accepting a job as a live-in nanny for a widower named John. The package includes scrawny  five-year-old Martin, precocious eight-year-old Milly, lonely Grandpa Pop, and intriguing stepson Evan. The book chronicles Kelly's days and nights of making monotonous meals, wiping runny noses, and daydreaming of scuba diving on the The Great Barrier Reef. As time passes, however, an attachment grows to this grieving family, and she slowly begins to understand that the untimely loss of a mother has far-reaching consequences. To her surprise, Kelly begins to feel an unexpected love for a family that courageously attempts to move on after days filled with emptiness and sorrow. And in the process her own mother's advice begins to take on a whole new meaning. When she returns to the States, her past experiences in a faraway place in 1992 prepare her for the challenges she faces today, with mom by her side.

This is a heartrending emotional story filled with a bevy of "mom" quotes; I marveled at exactly how many were familiar to me, spoken by my own mother throughout those formative teenage years. Sad at times yet surely captivating, it also is very amusing. After all, laughter is good for the soul. It explores that mysterious ever-changing bond between mothers and daughters that evolves over time; that protective nature one experiences when a child enters your life.

"And it occurs to me that maybe the reason my mother was so exhausted all the time wasn't because she was doing so much but because she was feeling so much."  Yes, indeed, an insightful window into the phenomenon known as motherhood. And may I be the first one to wish you...

Happy Mother's Day.