This I Believe : On Motherhood

Dan Gediman is executive director of This I Believe, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that engages people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief have been featured on public radio since 2005. Gediman is coeditor of the New York Times best seller This I Believe, as well as several other books in the series, including This I Believe: On Fatherhood.

John Gregory is editorial director and Mary Jo Gediman is outreach director of This I Believe, Inc.

Evolution 6
lauren leblanc

Do What You Have to Do 9
kimann schultz

Grabbing the Baton 12
julie sellers

You Can’t Always Get What You Want 15
kate searle

Visitor at the Table 18
maya christobel

The Power of Parenthood 21
andrea coleman

Call Your Mother 24
suzanne biemiller

Fighting for Motherland 27
susan monas

My Mother’s Gifts 30
alizon kiel

Monster Juice 33
lisa tucker mcelroy

Tell the Children 37
patty dann

The Comfort in Rituals 40
carol lathrop

The Simple Joys of Life 43
kris hansen

The Buddha Bean 46
beth crawford

The Bond Between Mother and Child 49
beth beery

On the Same Page 52
robin fitzgerald

The Real Measure of a Life Well Lived 55
annie azzariti

The Courage of One Woman 58
lien pham

The Juice Box Mom 61
candance gordon

The Wisdom of Children 64
patricia battaglia

The Gravity of Love 67
eleanor vincent

A Bountiful Harvest 70
kathrine leone wright

It Takes a Mother’s Love 73
bruce rankin

A Matter of One’s Perspective 77
josephine guido

Putting Myself First 80
sheri weinberg

Listen to Your Mother-in-Law 83
judi russell

A Mother’s Love 86
jennifer smith

I Can Make Time 89
lily llamzon darais

Our Children 92
haydeh takasugi

Being Yourself 95
carolyn williamson

We Are Optimists 98
angela west

Hope Dished Out in Plenty 101
david e. cowen

Saviors 104
lisa holmes

Raising Kane 107
shannon blady

Mom’s Everyday Advice 110
lea cassel matthews

Mother and Me 113
jamie lemke-barrand

Considering Adoption 116
susie m. green

The Eternal Sunshine 119
traci higgins

Don’t Tell Me How Rocky the Sea Is—Just Bring in the Ship 122
christine jarvis

Simple Saturdays 125
stefanie wass

Memories of Lessons Learned 128
mary lou hurley

A Parent at Home 131
lisa crystal

Expect to Have Enough 134
jodi ackerman frank

The Transformative Power of Letting Go 137
mary lacy porter

My Mother Is Beautiful 140
kelsey morgan

The Gift 143
keri freeburg

My Mother’s Eggplant 146
vijaya bodach

Dancing to the Music 149
amanda joseph-anderson

The Flaw-Free Body 152
kikki short

Some Things to Know About Your Mother 155
anne donahue

A Sacred Gift 158
alice roche cody

Motherhood Is Real 161
wendy lawrence

Miracle from Within 164
geeta maker-clark, md

The Essential Gift of Childhood 167
marla rose

Heaven Is Now 170
amy miller

Words Can Heal the Heart of a Mother 173
lynda sentz

The Second-Hardest Job 176
tina boscha

Bessie Mae: Nobody Famous 179
michael taylor

Pieces of Me 182
kimberly trevisani

Am I Doing This Right? 185
jeana lee tahnk

appendix

How to Write Your Own This I Believe Essay 189

Acknowledgments 191

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