​Does every cloud have a silver lining?  No, but it doesn’t hurt to look for the silver lining.  It is hard to find a cloud’s silver lining when the cloud is loss.  We experience so many kinds of loss in our lives.  To me, life’s biggest loss is the loss of a loved one. It’s an irreversible and seemingly unbearable loss.  However, the pain of loss is a small price to pay for the intensity of love. No pain, no gain.
 
The “gain of loss” is a beautiful contradiction. It’s been almost one year since I experienced the loss of my mother.  Even though her passing was not sudden and was not a surprise, I wasn’t prepared for the void her death left in my life.  That void wasn’t created because I no longer had to care for her. It wasn’t created because I had time on my hands. It was created because she was gone. The many hours of caregiving provided countless opportunities to learn more about her, to grow closer to her and to share my love with her.  Those were active, physically engaging moments that moved from the “doing” category to the “remembering” category upon her death.
 
I lost my mother, but in the end I gained the enduring gift of human companionship and compassion. Her death taught me a lot.  Her life taught me more.

 One of the challenges for a new author is book reviews.  I've read that only 1% of readers will take the time to leave a review.  I continue to encourage my readers to leave a candid review after reading my book.  Here is a review done by IndieReader.com.  I received a 5-star rating from IndieReader!  
                                                                                                  ~ ~
"Highlighting a mix of well-known and personal household phrases, Smith accompanies them with a flurry of hilarious stories that compare the experiences of her aging mom to Smith's childhood." 

Anyone who has had to care for an elderly parent knows first hand how daunting that task can be. Yet amid all the trials and tribulations, there are moments—precious gleanings—of joy and pure laughter. That said, Smith’s memoir capitalizes on these precious gleanings from her decade-long role as a caregiver for her mother.
Smith’s debut offers lightheartedness to an otherwise somber aging and end-of-life process. Smith’s narrative reflects on moments when the familial table turns and she spouts out the same maxims her mother once used on Smith during her childhood. Laying the groundwork for her account, Smith opens with 16 valuable life lessons passed down to her from her parents, which play a key role in helping her “deal with being a caregiver.” Smith quickly draws readers into familiar territory when she includes lesson topics, such as “Honesty is really the best policy,” “Crying is good for the soul,” “Forgive and forget,” and “Do unto others,” to name a few.
Continuing to connect with her audience, Smith’s chapters are replete with her down-to-earth writing style. Highlighting a mix of well-known and personal household phrases, Smith accompanies them with a flurry of hilarious stories that compare the experiences of her aging mom to Smith’s childhood. While readers will quickly recognize adages such as “Are you going to sleep all day?” “Turn that down!” “Stand up straight!” and “Hang up your clothes,” Smith also provides a handful of illuminating lines, such as “Huh is not a word,” “Can’t never could,” and “Did you want that hair color?”
Smith closes with another set of lessons learned that incorporates helpful caregiver tips. Although respectfully dedicated to the life of her mother, Smith’s memoir serves a great purpose:  “For all you wonderful children who provide loving care to a parent, I hope this book gives you a laugh, a smile and a little inspiration. You already have had enough tears. Just remember, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.”

TRADING PLACES:  BECOMING MY MOTHER’S MOTHER is a bittersweet combination of pain and joy.
                                                                                                   ~IndieReader.com
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