BOUNTIFUL — For Linda Athis, Thanksgiving is a day that brings mixed feelings to the fore.

Two years ago on that day, her mother died. The Salt Lake City woman has created an enduring memory in her mother’s name by penning the book, “Forgiving Mom.”

The story is brought to readers with a strong Davis County flavor, thanks to professional artist and illustrator Michelle Pierce of Bountiful, and Louise Brown, a Layton resident who edited the work.

The book of poetry portrays the story of how a daughter was able to reconcile, settle things with her mother before she died.

“Our relationship was tumultuous, competitive and sometimes felt downright mean. We were polar opposites,” Athis said.

“Women who read the book would say to themselves, ‘I’m not the only one. My struggle between my mother and me is not so unique and isolated.’

“There is comfort in knowing that others are going through this – knowing someone else has found resolution,” Brown said.

“Yet a soft little voice warned me I’d better get my ducks in a row before her death,” Athis said of her struggle with how to reconcile with her mom.

“She (mom) didn’t have long. It could happen right then, or six months from now. Her heart was failing. What magnificent, yet untried tool could bust through this ugly crust of mutual dislike built so meticulously in five decades?

“I began in small steps. I visited more often, always bringing a nice treat. Disarmed by this, she would fix my favorite childhood meal, grilled tuna fish sandwiches. Or we’d sip glass after glass of tap water and she’d talk about books she’d read, parties she’d attended, gossip from her volunteer job.

“Whenever politics or religion came up, I nimbly diverted her train of thought with a funny story or joke,” Athis said. “This took a lot of work initially, but she finally realized I had unbuckled my holster...and let it fall to the ground. Her one gun did not a good gunfight make.”

The rose plays important symbolism throughout the book, and on its cover, said Pierce.

“The symbolism is strong with the rose,” she said. “I wanted to do more than slap a rose on the cover,” but portray it in a unique way, she said.

“In this book, even the choice of fonts was important to me. I wanted it to be really feminine, about her relationship with her mother. Even those details are important,” Pierce said.

The lifelong artist said it took her about two months to design the cover, generally spending a few hours a week.

This is her first freelance assignment. She works full-time as a designer for Gibb Smith Publisher in Layton.

“I was impressed with the author’s ability to select precise words that carried a great deal of weight – so that her poetry reflects multi-layers of emotion in relatively few words,” Brown said.

For Athis, the time of forgiveness was long and hard in coming, but came in time for both mother and daughter to feel at peace.

The book can be purchased online at www.forgivingmom.com.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com