As a child, Renee Gatz grew up hearing familiar expressions that made her roll her eyes at how her mother was using the same words she herself had heard from her own Irish mother. 

That was, until Gatz found herself in her own adulthood, mouthing the same phrases her own mother and grandmother had said. That realization, along with the wisdom of the sayings that spanned the generations, spawned the idea for a book, "Wise Words & Witty Expressions." 

"As I got a little older, I saw how much in life those sayings would come back to me, so I decided to write them down," said Gatz, a Fords resident and first time author.

Gatz's grandmother, Bridget Ena Madden, grew up in Hollymount, a town in County Mayo, Ireland and at the age of 18, emigrated to the United States in 1907.

One saying of her grandmother's - one of Gatz's favorites - describes the Irish mastery over the turning of a good phrase: "The Irish have a way of telling you to go to hell so that you look forward to the trip." 

"Over the course of my life I had heard my mother say these things and I had the same reaction anyone else would," Gatz remembered.  "I would just roll my eyes and think, 'There they go again'.  But one day, something happened and I found myself saying the exact same phrase my mom used to say, and I found myself going, 'Oh my goodness! I sound just like my mother!' " 

In a telephone interview, Gatz discussed how her town has been a support in getting the word out about the book, which was published by Woodpecker Press.

"I live in Woodbridge with my dog Rocky who is a Rottweiler Shelt mix," said Gatz, who has lived in the township for 11 years. "When I first began talking about the book, I was invited to speak at the Barrons Art Center." 

"It was a very high profile event and they were a major help," she said of the book that was so near and dear to her heart. 

The first step in writing it for Gatz was recalling the phrases of her youth.

"I first had to see how many I could remember," said Gatz. "After I wrote out all I could remember, I would be having a conversation or walking the dog and I would remember more of them. By the end of the project, I had a lot of small pieces of paper around my computer." 

Other favorite expressions that made their way into her book include:  

• "When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on."
• "Only give your tears to someone who deserves them."
• "There is a little bit of good in the worst of us and a little bit of bad in the best of us." 

Gatz credits these bon mots to her Irish forebears.  "From this heritage, we get these phrases that are historical, universal and timeless," said Gatz. 

When the book was written and the first copies began to arrive, Gatz said her mother had become excited about the process.

"I remember the first day we got the books in," said Gatz. "She was home when the boxes were delivered, but Mom did not open the box. When I came home that night she was gone and she wrote on one of the boxes, 'Do not open until I get home!' "

Gatz waited til her mother returned before opening the box of new books. "I wanted her there with me as I open them because she has been such a great help to me and comes with me at the book signings and is thrilled with the response," she said.

The whole process, Gatz recalled, was not unlike bearing a child. "I remember opening it and thinking, 'Wow! It really happened'," said Gatz. "It was like welcoming a new member of the family." 

Writing and publishing a book, Gatz admitted, has its ups and downs.

"When you write a book, you really live with it," she said.

Between remembering the expressions, placing them in the right categories, as well as writing while working as a marketing and communications manager for a company, Gatz had her hands full.

"I remember my grandma used to say, 'You come from good stock, you'll be just fine'," said Gatz, who also gives equal credit to her Polish heritage, from her father's side of the family, in sticking to her work and making her book a reality. 

"I am 50-50 Polish and Irish, and it was a source of conflict for me because I wanted to include my mother's sayings and heritage, but I also wanted my father to be a part of this," said Gatz. "He was a quiet man, but he had two fabulous expressions. The first was, 'Actions speak louder than words' and 'Plan your work, then work your plan'. He said both of those all of his life." 

She added, "I think it is important for society to remember these expressions today," said Gatz. "But also, it was important people read it, walk away and not feel like they are being preached to. I wanted to keep it lighthearted." 

But ultimately, she has drawn strength from her Irish roots.

"Whenever I face challenges," Gatz said. "I thought if my grandmother can come to the United States from Ireland, I have the genetics to face whatever challenge that is ahead for me." 

For more information, visit her site here.