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MOTHER'S DAY May 13 -- Where would we all be without our moms? When my friend Susan lost her mom, she said, "She was my rock." To have someone who is always there for you is a great gift and a blessing. Don't forget you have a biological mother, but you can also have a spiritual mother who nurtures you in ways that touch your soul. 

PAGE AND PHOTO IDEA: How are you and your mother alike? How are you different? Why not photograph the two of you and list your similarities and differences? 

JOURNALING IDEA: Take the time to write what my friend Vickie Sullivan calls a "blubber" letter. Pour out your heart to dear, old mom. Thank her for her many sacrifices and all her love.

PHOTO IDEA: We all draw sustenance from Mother Earth. Why not take photos of a place that's sacred to you. As I write this, I am still unpacking from a visit to Sedona, which the Native Americans considered a sacred place. As we drove along a gravel road, the rain stopped and I took a photo of the huge red rock outcroppings touched by double rainbows. Proof positive that we are loved by a Higher Power.

JOURNALING IDEA: When did you first realize that you were a mother? I remember the exact moment. A nurse was checking my blood pressure while I drank orange juice and read the morning paper. My eyes focused on the NEW BIRTH column and I read: David and Joanna Slan, a boy, born July 23, St. Joseph's Hospital. I burst into tears. The nurse was a seasoned veteran who patted my arm and murmured comforting nonsense to me. I turned to her and 
choked out, "I'm a mother! Oh, God, I'm so scared! What if I mess this up!"

Joanna Campbell Slan is the author of the Scrapbook Storytelling book series and the guided journaling book, "I'm Too Blessed to be Depressed." 

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