Motherless Soul and the subject of Loss

Last Sunday my book, Motherless Soul, was a topic of a discussion at Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. I was to lead that talk, which was held after the Sunday service in the fellowship room. It's a group that meets once a week to talk about subjects as varied as astronomy, local politics or art. So there was no trouble having a book that covers reincarnation fit in, even if it isn't normally considered a Christian subject. Almost anything of interest suits the group.

I knew I would read from the book, then lead a discussion about it. But I was a little concerned because I would be talking to a group that contained people who had read my book and people who had not. So I decided to focus on the subject of loss. The book is about an elderly woman who lost her mother when she was two. She approaches a hypnotist to help her pull out memories from those early years, so she can get to know the woman who gave her life.

I read a section from Chapter Two where the woman, Emily Vinson, is reflecting back on her life as a young child. I showed how she dealt with her loss by throwing herself into her chores and by rejecting relationships with friends. Then I talked about the qualities that made her believable. Her father had thrown himself into his work after her mother had died. Emily both resented and copied those actions. She also had dolls whom she had made into friends. She spent long periods of time talking to those dolls, mostly about how wonderful her mother was.

After the reading, the talk turned the way I had hoped it would. Loss is something we all go through, so the subject became about both my book and their real life experiences. There were a number of suggestions about how I can get more people to read Motherless Soul. There was one that struck a chord with me. We had talked about how I had discovered that people who are going through very hard times seem to find comfort in its theme. This friend suggested that I donate a copy to our local hospice. I've contacted them and I plan to mail it this week. Perhaps my book has found a new purpose.