Dear Mom: Women's Letters of Love, Loss and Longing »

Deborah Berger felt compelled to work on Dear Mom: Women's Letters of Love, Loss, and Longing.

In her own words:

"I tell people Dear Mom was born on a plane - and that's literally true. I was coming back from a visit with a close friend. We had talked about lots of things, including our moms.

Sitting on the plane, I thought about how powerful mothers were - how their legacies can guide our lives and impact us in ways we may not even realize. My mind flashed to a woman I knew; let's call her Mary. She was in her 70s, her mom had been gone for four decades, but when Mary talked about her, you could almost see the mom. And Mary's mom didn't need an invitation to give advice or opinions! It was clear that the mom's voice was very much alive in her daughter.

It was also clear that Mary had lots to say to her mom: some of which she had never put into words, even to herself. I realized this was true for almost all women I knew - of course, including me. I got off the plane knowing I had to find a way to explore this intense, primal connection we have with our mothers."

Deborah Berger, M.S.W., is an author and freelance journalist whose articles have been published in Parade, Ladies' Home Journal, Working Mother, and other magazines. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son.

In Dear Mom, everyday women express their most private truths about their relationship with their mothers.