For Christmas this year I got a great book from my Mom.  I immediately loved the concept and opened it up to the first letter to read it.  From Madeline Albright, Rachel Ashwell, Macy Gray and 40 other famous women- all seem to have gotten the hang of the term:  “Hindsight is 20/20″ and “If I only knew then what I know now…..” well, this book is sure to make an impact, jerk a tear, or inspire a chuckle.

It’s so clear to me how connected we are as women, mothers and daughters.  No matter who we are, how famous we become, or how alone we sometimes feel… we are hardly separate. Thank you for a truly tender read and totally relatable topic:

What I know Now- Letter’s to my Younger Self.

One of my favorite letters is from Olympia Dukakis writing to herself in her dry and humorous style about the time when she was raising her family. Here is an excerpt:

“Dear Oly,

A fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into this time. You wake up worried about money almost every day . Your kitchen functions like a war room. Charts and tables cover the wall so that you can plot your ever -changing schedule at the theatre and in Manhatten, where you choose paying jobs, against the kids after- school activities…”

then, later in the letter she speaks a wee bit more tenderly to herself:

“one way is to realize that being strong doesn’t require that you deny yourself pleasures.  You don’t have to “earn” them by toiling harder than every other workhorse…. Olympia. Learn that you can be responsible for your children and enjoy them at the same time. Talk to them about what’s happening and even more important,  listen to what they say.”

Touche Olympia. Touche.