I've been a daughter my whole life, a mother for 31 years and now for the last three years I've been a grandmother. It's not the whole story. I'm a sister, wife, friend, psychotherapist, trainer, writer, beginning potter.... and more. I have a daughter, a daughter-in-law, nieces, a granddaughter, lots of "daughter" age people in my life. The mother/daughter relationship plays out not only with a mother and daughter but with many of the mother-age/daughter-age relationships. It's a great thing, being part of the lineage of women, from the oldest to the youngest. I'm thrilled to have so many generations of our family available to each other. To watch my three year old granddaughter reach up to her 83 year old great-grandmother is a wonderful thing. For women in or out of family to reach out to each other is healing.

I also know from my own family experience and from my twenty-five years of work as a psychotherapist that the relationship can be hard, painful, hurtful. I am deeply grateful that this work that my mother, sister and I do touches women in a way that helps them find what is best in this relationship. I hope that this work touches you and you in turn touch others.

Dorothy Firman is available for on-line coaching. Visit the The Synthesis Center at www.synthesiscenter.org