Mother of 8

Marilyn McDonald (Smith) assembled this manuscript in 1975, after her column "Just Between Us" finished its weekly four-year run in the Community Press, Portland, Oregon. The following excerpt is from the introduction:

The 1960s and 1970s were times of tremendous turmoil and change in our society. It was all about Vietnam, human freedom, liberation, conservation,
Zero Population Growth, and saving the earth for future generations. With eight children, I was living in the midst of my own population explosion – and
turning heads whenever I packed them all with me into a restaurant or grocery
store.

Those were challenging times, interesting and fun times. This book speaks to life's challenges, the search for human freedom and spiritual growth, putting one foot in front of the other on a daily basis. And, for me personally, it was a challenging time -- raising eight children and facing a failing marriage. Come, and share with me the big and little things that make life worth living.

Reviews

When he reviewed the manuscript and recommended it to his editor in 1976, The Children’s Doctor author, Lendon H. Smith, MD, (6/3/1921-11/17/2001), wrote the following in a foreword:

Marilyn knows we are all floating along the stream of life, trapped to a certain extent by our bodies, our talents and our past follies, but she gives us all an oar or two to alter the course. It is an optimistic book, but not a sickeningly sweet-keep-smiling-and-all-will-be-OK book. She feels we are all growing and have the capacity of change for the better. Hope is there but we have to row a bit.