From the Cover: Jaime Baughman on The Heart Between Generations

We are so many things — daughters and mothers, granddaughters and grandmothers, sisters and cousins, nieces and aunts. And then there are our sister-friends — the women who hold our secrets, share our laughter, and stand by us through it all. The bonds we share as women run deep and wide, woven through generations with love, resilience, and grace.

Of all these relationships, I believe the mother-daughter connection may be the most intricate. For much of my life, I believed my mum and I were worlds apart. But as the years passed, I began to recognise pieces of her in me — in the way I laugh, in my love for a good tune, and even in how I find joy in the simplest of moments. She taught me how to laugh at myself, how to create my own fun, and how to welcome others with warmth and generosity. She wasn’t particularly musical, but music still filled our home because she loved it.

She had a gift for making people feel at home, whether they were dinner guests or staying for the week. Her friendships were a beautiful testament to loyalty and love — bonds formed in school days that stretched across decades of life’s changes: marriages, children, losses, triumphs, and the arrival of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was married for 64 years — not always easy years, but they held on, found a way, and built a life together. As I look back now, I admire her more than ever. I miss her deeply, but I carry her with me.

I hope your life, too, has been touched by women like the ones I’ve known — women who love fiercely, live fully, and leave us better than they found us.