When I began writing this book, many people felt that, with no letters such as "Dr." or "Ph.D." attached to my name, my words had no value. They probed, questioned, laughed and even rolled their eyes, looking for the education that would support and validate my opinion. At first I was intimidated, and then I simply told these professionals and highly educated people: I had life experience. I explained that no one person is an expert on love, compassion and understanding. I have journeyed down many paths and climbed many steps. I am a daughter, I have a mother, and together we have faced the many ups and downs that all relationships encounter.

I know I am not an expert, according to diplomas or degrees, but because I live each day giving what I can to my mother, I am all the expert I need to be. This book is a collection of the many thoughts and feelings I as a daughter have shared with my mother. They are my words, the ones that sometimes tore from my heart in deep despair and at other times leaped from my spirit in a wave of exuberance. This is a true and honest account of a mother/daughter relationship. It is what I know, and it gives me great joy to share it with you.

-JB Owen

Starting with an Idea

After many years of fighting and not getting along, letters helped me find my way back to mother and into her heart.

I wrote this book because I believe strongly that letters can heal old wounds. I also believe that often it takes only one person to begin that healing process. One person can make the difference and bring two people together. I know this, because over the years I wrote my mother diligently. Often my hand would ache, and the mountain of papers wouldn't fit inside the envelope. Sometimes I could not even afford the cost of postage. Some of the letter were eight, sixteen, up to twenty-three pages long. (I really poured my heart out.) Yet, with all the hundreds of letters I wrote to my mother, she never wrote me back.

If I had stopped writing and waited for my mother to write me back, I never would have met the woman I know today. Instead, I allowed my mother to come to me in her own time, in whatever way she felt safe in sharing. This is how I learned that it takes only one person to mend a troubled relationship, and that one person can make a difference if they openly and honestly decide to share.

I have seen the power behind reaching out and sharing, and I have felt the joy from unconditional love and acceptance.

Lasting Effects

I hope my experience will encourage you to begin the journey toward the one woman you love and possibly need most in life, your mother. I believe that because you are her daughter and she is your mother, nothing can truly keep you apart. There is a love between you that is stronger and more important than anything that may have kept you apart.

I too have felt the utter sorrow and painful rejection of an unsuccessful mother/daughter relationship. Yet, if I can bring my relationship with my mother back from where it was to where it is now, you can, too. With just one letter, you can gain the strength to reach out to your mother and in turn begin reconnecting with her. Writing letters can allow you to rediscover your relationship and begin something new. They can allow you to rebuild your friendship and enjoy the love and connection we as daughters all have with our mothers.

I wish you great success in whatever way this book inspires you. We are all one, a united group of women longing for and searching out the best possible lives we can lead. I encourage you in every way to live your life to the fullest and rejoice in the beautiful spirit that you are. I also impress upon you the importance of rising to that level of happiness, loving and honoring your mother in a way that empowers, uplifts, and enriches the both of you. To have love, respect and acceptance in your own life is a true accomplishment. When you can share those feelings with your mother, you can create something magical. You can have everything you dream of.