My sister, Jennifer, is the best gift-giver I know.
She is generous with her imagination when it comes to the time and thought she puts into selecting the perfect gift for the recipient. And I eagerly open her packages knowing that she has selected something just right.
Some years ago, I no longer remember when, Jennifer gifted me a subscription to Brain, Child magazine for Chanukah. I had never heard of it before, but was immediately intrigued by the subtitle: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers.
Finally. A magazine that didn’t offer 8 tips to lose the baby weight. Or 10 ways to get back in the mood after baby. No exercise routines. Or cover stories on celebrity moms who are thinner during their ninth month of gestating than I am at my thinnest. The writing is smart and funny and just plain wonderful.
The fact that it was given to me by my sister (not a mother) and before I knew that I was a writer simply proves that she has an insight into who I am at my core. And she has, at my request, renewed it every year.
This past May, the editors announced that they had put the magazine to bed for the very last time and that the Summer issue would be the final one. Oh, how very sad I was to read their beautiful farewell letter. I still have the issue. Unread. Because I couldn’t bear to say goodbye. Silly, I guess. I connect with editors on a periodical basis on Facebook. And I keep up with some of the essayists whose writing has profoundly moved me over the years. But I knew that it would be different. And I wasn’t ready yet.
It turns out that I was not alone in my sense of potential loss. A long-time reader, and accomplished essayist in her own right, stepped forward with an offer to purchase the magazine. The announcement came today and has been met with great approval and cheer from the magazine’s loyal readership. Starting with the Winter issue, Brain, Child will once again arrive in my mailbox and provide me with things to consider differently, stories to make me laugh, and vignettes to open my soul.
Guess I’ve got some reading to do.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
That’s great news!! Really is a great mag. Agree that your sister was very insightful and thoughtful with that gift.