I've learned that there are many emotional "triggers" or prompts that allowed me to write the letters to Mom. One is today. It's Mom's birthday. She'd be 78 today. Remembering birthdays and other celebrations is a prompt I encourage people to use in journaling.

Dear Mom is like a journal, and the value of identifying and sharing stories is bigger than us. It's great for our children as well. One of my favorite stories Dad liked to tell was when my grandparents drove through a snow storm for my first birthday. The neighbor called to see who had died, because no one drove through snow storms on the prairie for the fun of it. Dad's reply was, "No one died, it's Dee Dee's first birthday!"

I kept journals for both of my daughters for many years. (OK, I'm a bit of a control freak. I figured if something happened to me, I wanted them to be able to get to know me from MY words, not someone else's!) One of the stories in Jessica's journal is about my dad driving in snow to come see her. I had called him, telling him she was having a bad day, and asked him come visit. He did. When Jess read my first birthday story in my book, and then read a very similar story in her journal, she realized the power of sharing our stories, and just how special grandparents can be.

It's the power of our stories, and it's what we remember, celebrate and pass on to our children and grandchildren. Any "Mom" birthday stories to share?