Mother's Way

A PIECE OF CARDBOARD arrives at home as a soldier’s makeshift postcard, a lone blue heron crossing the sky reminds a grief-stricken mother that everything in life is fleeting and connected — the 45 essays that fill Love You More Than You Know: Mothers’ Stories About Sending Their Sons and Daughters to War (Gray & Co., $14.95) are packed with images and moments that resonate with the reader long after the stories are told. The collection was assembled by Janie Reinart and Mary Ann Mayer, who are also contributors. (Mayer’s son, Stan, was featured in our June 2006 story “Blood Brothers” about the Iraq tour of Brook Park’s 3/25 Marines.)As a whole, the book offers a powerful statement about the sacrifices made not only by those who serve, but also by those left behind.