A Mother's Love Is a Blessing

This is a Irish Catholic love story of motherhood and marriage, written by a husband who sought to chronicle the joyful experiences he shared with his wife over the course of a lifetime. Tales includes first encounters on a golf course, family life in the Boston suburb of Needham, travels to Ireland, summer experiences on Cape Cod, the unexpected death of a newly ordained priest son, and the challenges of assisting a spouse with dementia.

From an early age Alice (Haggerty) Kennedy exhibited unbridled energy and extensive business acumen. However, on her wedding day in 1968, she re-aligned her lifetime aspirations and devoted her entire life to motherhood. Like all mothers, she treasured the opportunity to care for her children through good times and trying times, but at all times she brought great joy to the lives of her five children. Later in life, she was delighted to return to the world of business, an endeavor that brought her much joy but one that was curtailed with a long-term and challenging battle with dementia. As Alice's health gradually ebbed away, her children returned the love she had poured out to them. In her final days, long after her speech appeared to have eroded, Alice's love miraculously manifested itself to the surprise of her family on a cold autumn day.

Daniel J. Kennedy Sr. is a retired insurance executive. He and his wife Alice raised five children in Needham, Massachusetts. He is the author of "247 Days, A Proud and Happy Priest," a memoir about their son, Father Dan Kennedy.