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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Nicola Kraus shares the love...plus a book giveaway

L to R: Nicola and Emma
Today we are celebrating the publication of Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus' ninth novel, How to Be a Grown-up, about a forty-something wife and mother thrust back into the workforce, where she finds herself at the mercy of a boss half her age. Fans of the TV show (and book) Younger might appreciate this premise, even though the main character in this story isn't disguising her age.

In honor of this special day, Nicola is here to share a heartwarming story with us. 
She also has THREE copies of How to Be a Grown-up for some lucky US readers!

Visit Emma and Nicola at their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A Hug in the Mail

My mother died recently and it gave me time to spend with her girlfriends. It’s always interesting when you get to see your parent in another context, as a person who moved through the world long before you were ever in it. My sister and I got to hear wonderful stories, some of which we’d heard before, like the time my mom and her college buddies borrowed a hearse and drove from Buffalo to Florida. That made the papers.

But at her service a friend of hers I had never met in person came up to me, wanting to be sure we spoke before she left. Her name was Maria and she wanted to tell me that twenty years ago she had been diagnosed with Lyme disease. It was severe and she was very ill and living alone at the time. Apparently my mother had stepped beside her at an art opening and softly said, “I’m worried about your head. I think your head is cold.” Maria said a few days later a hat arrived for her in the mail. It was a lilac wool hat, lined with velvet. She wore it through her whole treatment and then for years afterward whenever she needed comfort. She said, “That was so like your mother. To see that I was in need in a way I hadn’t even been able to articulate for myself. But more than that, to make me feel loved.”

It was hard to say good bye to my mother, but to be in a room with hundreds of people whose lives had been similarly touched made me feel like a pebble surrounded by ripples of love in an invisible ocean that my mother is now a part of. And I will think of that story every time I see someone who could use a hug in the mail.

Thanks to Nicola for sharing her mother with us in this way and for sharing her book with our readers.



How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


US only. Giveaway ends August 3rd at midnight EST.

24 comments:

  1. Last Friday night, I got a couple scratch off lottery tickets. I asked the girl to pick them for me. She told me she had a theory of picking winners. Well, one of them was actually a $100 winner. When I took it back to cash it in, I gave her $20 for helping me. She was very excited for the tip. I'll be buying my tickets from her from now on.

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  2. I had someone help me out with some change in a check out line once. I would recognize that person anywhere. It was so nice of her. I actually cried when I got out to my car.

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  3. I helped an elderly lady at the grocery store reach a box of cat food high on the shelf. Such an easy and simple thing to do as I was passing by and saw her struggling but she gushed on and on how much she appreciated it -I felt like a super hero :-)

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  4. My sister had cancer and the whole family rallied together to help her when she could not be by herself, to donate platelets and blood and to go with her when she had chemo. When she got better and after she and her husband adopted her daughter I would go in and help her because she was still recovering and she was tired.

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  5. This morning I called to check on a friend who is going through a hard time, just to check on her.

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  6. I brought meals and groceries to a friend who is ill.

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  7. Looking forward to read this book.

    A nice thing someone did for me was taking me and picking me up for the airport.

    A nice thing I've done is fed pets when the owners are on vacation.

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  8. It's hard to talk about myself. My husband and I have let our daughter and her partner along with our grandson live with us for almost two years now. They are now beginning to look for an apartment. I will still be helping with caring for our grandson. He's 13 months old and is a sweetie.

    bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

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  9. I baked some homemade Lemon-Cranberry Scones for my mother-in-law and brought her a jar of homemade enchilada sauce when we went to visit her in California :)

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  10. People rallying together to help a small baby with cancer.

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  11. Wishing me luck and a speedy recovery while I'm in the hospital for blood clots. :)

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  12. A co worker was in a rehab center that had horrible food.
    On the weekends I would bring her homemade soup, fresh fruit,
    and her favorite peach yogurt.

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  13. My daughter helped me pack up and move my mother from one assisted living facility to another. Also the same week she helped me organize and get ready to teach 20-30 kindergartners in Vacation Bible School. What a God-send.

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  14. We've been having issues hiring an electrician who has the time to finish the electrical work for our pool. Today my dad called me and told me he will be bringing my uncle over and the two of them will finish the work. Oh happy day. They just can't understand the weight this takes off my shoulders. I'm always paying this forward, but this is a big one to pay forward!!

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  15. I am disabled, and my family is always taking time to do things for me. I am blessed.

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  16. Throwing a pool party for everyone in town that I love this Sunday!

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  17. A lovely, helpful person came to my rescue when my grocery bag broke!

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  18. My brother recently was kind enough to wash my car for me. He does nice things like that all the time. I'm very lucky.

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  19. My dear friend brought me my favorite meal from my favorite restaurant when I was not feeling well. Brightened my day.

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  20. mowed neighbor's lawn

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  21. Saw a woman give up her seat to another older woman on the train.

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  22. My neighbor had my twin girls spend the night - two nights in a row while the movers packed and loaded! It was helpful not to have to worry about them.

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  23. Make dinner for my elderly Mom. She loves my meatloaf muffins! Easy to freeze so she can have them any time!

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  24. My cousin played with my daughter a couple of weeks when we were visiting with family. I was able to have a glass of wine and chat with my relatives without worrying about my daughter!

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