From a Mother's Heart: Letters to Our College Daughters

Taking a young woman to college is indeed a moment that pulls at the heartstrings. Honoring this special time in the life of a family, the Center for Spirituality at Saint Mary s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, invited mothers of incoming freshmen to write a letter sharing with their daughters words of wisdom that they may not have had the opportunity to speak in the midst of all the busyness of preparing for college departure. These letters are gathered here in a volume that will touch the heart of, and inspire, every mother who has had a daughter go away to college

In the letters, mothers share with their daughters reflections on their faith journey in their own young adult years. Other topics addressed are experiences or books or professors that were particularly influential; relationships, friendships, and peer pressure; the navigation of the difficult waters of learning about authentic love and sacramental commitment; discernment of life paths and vocation; the relationship of faith and social responsibility; beauty; and the experience of being a mother. The result is a collection of letters that are written from the heart. Although the mothers write as parents of the students here, the words that they have penned surely express the hearts of mothers of young women at other schools.

The letters are arranged in an order alphabetical by the first names of the young women to which they are addressed. Some letters employ real names and others use pseudonyms for the protection of family privacy. At the conclusion of the book, pages are left open for mothers who do not have a letter printed in this volume to compose their own letter for their daughter.
The letters speak in the voices of mothers and need no commentary. Here is a precious and moving gift for daughters whose universal appeal and wisdom is timeless.Elizabeth Groppe;, Elizabeth Groppe