Customer Reviews

Remembering Mother, Finding Myself: A Journey of Love and Self-Acceptance

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a blessing this book has been for me! My mother passed away recently after a long illness. Our relationship was often turbulent and my childhood and teen years were sometimes difficult. I spent a lot of my time being angry with her but this book really opened my eyes as to the struggle my mother had just with trying to survive on a day to day basis. I saw my mother in this book and discovered the answers to many questions that baffled me about the kind of person she was. Loving and laughing one minute then crying and accusing the next minute. Now I know why. Thank you, Patricia, for writing this book. My mom and I had many good times too. She had a great sense of humour and I cherish that part of my mother. Your book is a precious gift.

This is a gentle, loving book. Patricia Commins pulled me through this process without judgement or bias, using compassion and support instead. I did some of the exercises and found them useful, especially putting my mother in the context of the years in which she grew up and was a young adult. The book helped me take what I admire about my mother and leave the rest. I think any reader could find themselves in this book, including and especially women whose mothers are still alive. The book is really for and about the reader. I found it a wise, wonderful read.

I am about to read Remembering Mother Finding Myself for the second time. While I have the good fortune of understanding my mother and getting to know her while she is still living, Commins book helps every daughter/mother relationship become more fulfilling. Everyone I have talked to loves this book - for different reasons- this is the beauty of the author's writing. At times I laughed, then the next minute I cried and every moment in between I found myself in deep reflection. This powerful book is in honor of all women. It has a message not only for women of the 90's but for future generations ..it is timeless. I had the opportunity recently to hear Ms. Commins speak about her book. Her enthusiasm and true spirit shine through her words whether they are spoken or written. I look forward to reading other publications by this author. ........ A personal note to the author if she reads this - thank you.

This book is so well written. It is a journey every woman should take whether they had a good relationship with their mothers or not. I received alot of knowledge and healing from reading certain parts of the book and have been able to come to terms with my mother because of Patricia,s book.

"Draw nearer and listen. Sit inside the circle, close by the fire of warmth and friendship. Tell me your story, and I'll tell you mine," Patricia Commins writes in concluding chapter five. Commins is not a psychologist, nor does she pretend to be. She is a grown woman who has summoned the guts to examine her relationship with her mother, and gives her readers the benefit of that experience. I for one, related to her story, her remembrances, her sense of loss, but most importantly to her joy at discovering her mother and herself. Immersing myself in Ms. Commins' book, I began to recall many forgotten memories of my own mother, a woman who embraced many roles. Mom was typical of the 40's and 50's Midwestern mom who baked cupcakes, scrubbed floors, hung the wash on the clothesline and nurtured her kids. But prior to embracing those roles, she was "Rosie the Riveter" - serving as a draftsman in Ford's River Rouge plant - responsible for the successful completion of the B-24 bomb bay doors. Through Ms. Commins deft ability of prying loose memories through her stories, I remembered mine. I related to her "spiritual e-mail" and found myself probing the memory banks surrounding my father. It matters not the gender of the parent with whom the reader had issues, or whether that parent is still among the living, Ms. Commins, through her gentle remembrances, humor, and down-to-earth approach, has given all readers a true gift. Thank you, Patricia.

Commins has written an insightful book that will cause you to reflect on what your mother has done for you and how it continues to affect you.

The exercises provide guidance on why you don't "fall far from the apple tree."

I recommend this easy to read book for all daughters.

I can't thank the author enough for putting into words the journey I've been on for the last eight years. I have a mother who is still living, but I have no relationship with her: it echoes my childhood. I am one of those "Motherless Daughters." Ms. Commins helped me to identify other mothering I received as a child, and thus, allowed me to see my lovability - my worthiness. It's ironic to find that I've read every single book she cited in her book -- on this long journey to find myself and what was wrong w/me. I can now say, "Nothing is wrong with me." It was important for me to solve this generational phenomenon for I DID NOT want to pass this onto my two beloved sons. I did not want them to hate me as I did my mother (& father) for years, because the hatred poisons the soul. Hundreds of books later and nine months of therapy were summed up and brought together with Ms. Commins book. She helped tie up the loose ends I still had: the anger, trying to find forgiveness, and preventing the passage of this "disease" to the next generation. I am so grateful for her journey and her willingness to share it with us, along with all the women she interviewed. A great piece of work that should be required reading for students of psychology and anyone who is working with "disturbed" youth. Thank you Ms. Commins.

What I liked best were the exercises she had at the end of each chapter. A well written and solid book.-Marvin B. Smith

I lost my mother in December and read this book and it has been very helpful. It is very well written and easy to understand.

I have not read all of this book yet , it is in perfect shape when I recieved it