This is the beautiful moment a stunned mother was brought to tears as she was presented with a children’s book, seven years in the making, about her loving parenting skills.
In the emotional video, Mary Jo Parker can be seen getting presented with a wrapped box at a family brunch, totally unaware of what’s inside.
Having unwrapped the gift and peeked into the package, though, Mary Jo, 59, immediate began to cry, putting her hands over her eyes and then mouth in sheer disbelief.
The book was written by her daughter, Amanda Doster, who, for seven years, had been trying to finish a tale about her mother’s way of telling her daughter how much she loved her: “A million pennies’ worth.”
This has become Mary Jo’s go-to way of expressing her love for Amanda down the years, evolving the phrase to different occasions, such as “I love you a million jellybeans’ worth” for Easter.
Having come up with the idea while working as a pastry chef, Amanda struggled to find an illustrator who could commit to helping her complete the book in a given timeframe.
This year, though, the writer made it her New Year’s resolution to be able to present the book to Mary Jo in time for Mother’s Day.
Working with a friend’s niece, Emily Larrabee, an illustrator, the pair were able to make the book a reality in time for the big surprise on May 13.
Amanda has also self-published the book on Amazon, and having recently shared a video of the loving surprise on a social media, “Millions of Pennies Worth” briefly reached the Top 200 on the website.
Amanda, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, said: “Watching my mom open up her story after all this time was one of my favorite moments.
“She is the most loving, selfless and thoughtful mom, and I’ve been so excited to finally share it with her – I cry every time I watch it.
“People’s reactions to the video have been so lovely, so many kind words and shared stories of their own mothers.
“What message do I hope people take away from it? I hope they see the genuine love, and I hope they call their own mothers or children or friends and tell them that they love them millions of pennies’ worth.”
You can get your copy of Amanda’s book here: https://amzn.to/2Hh17aT
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media
