The
following unsolicited testimonials came from various individuals and
women participating in the Letters From The Heart Project.
"Dear Mom is a precious,
honest, life-altering book about the most profound relationship in a
woman’s life.”
Christiane Northrup, MD, author of
Mother-Daughter Wisdom (Bantam, 2005), The Wisdom of Menopause
(Bantam, 2001), and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (Bantam, 1998)
www.DrNorthrup.com
I introduced the Project to group
of homeless teenage mothers doing Transformative Language Arts,
Creative Writing for Self-empowerment at a shelter in Springfield,
Massachusetts. We worked several weeks drafting these letters and
getting in touch with our feelings through poems by women poets such
as Sharon Olds, Lucille Clifton, and Susan Griffin. The work was
excruciating; we discovered immediately an overwhelming amount of
pain bitterness, resentment, and confusion. But two of the five
young women were able to open themselves to compassion and the
realization that the problems stemmed from their mothers and not
themselves. Thank you for developing this Project. It enabled me to
take these young women on a journey they wouldn’t have taken on
their own for quite a long time, life ever. It was truly healing for
these two women and planted the seeds in the others.
-Kathleen Nesbitt, Massachusetts
Even though I didn’t give the
letter I wrote to my Mom, yet, the actual writing of it seems to
have made a difference in both our lives. My letter addressed her
depression and how it affected us both. After I wrote my letter, I
realized that I was possibly feeding her depression with my “I’m
sorry’s.” I started talking to her in a more positive way,
encouraging her to get out and do things in the real world. I’m
proud to announce that she has since joined a church group and also
a political party. She is out there making friends again, and she is
so much happier now. When we talk now, we discuss real subjects and
not just the state of her health. It’s wonderful. It’s like I’m
getting my mother back. I may even show her the letter some day
soon.
-Anonymous
Dear Mom, I’ve Always Wanted
You to Know is a steady guide that can support you through the
complex and often scary terrain of making peace with your mother.
The process of baring your soul, unraveling your suppressed
emotions, and speaking from your heart will liberate you and bring
light to all areas of your life.
Debbie Ford, NY Times Best Selling
Author, The Best Year of Your Life, The Right Questions, Spiritual
Divorce, The Secret of Shadow, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
www.BestYearofYourLife.com ,
www.DebbieFord.com
I’ve written so many letters like
this over the years, I thought this would be easy. But the fact that
this letter was a shockingly emotional experience for me to write
it, and therefore extremely difficult to “give up.”
-Ren Katherine Powell, Norway
And me writing these letters,
well…they gave me a chance to say…“I forgive you.” They gave me a
chance to say goodbye. Thank you for taking the time to read a
little piece of me, and more importantly, thank you for taking the
time to read little pieces of my mother and our relationship. Also,
thank you for providing me (and lots of others) with an outlet for
my art and closure. For this, both my mother and I are eternally
grateful.
-Jennifer Wiest, Norway
Lisa, I so much enjoy the tone and
the purpose of your work. Thanks for sharing the work of so many in
your newsletter. I now realize that the gift was to myself and so
writing both letters was appropriate. I needed your deadline in
order to take both letters seriously enough to gain healing from
them. Thanks again Lisa for realizing this hope for so many women.
-Victoria Streib Smith, Athens,
Georgia
I love what you are doing. There are
so many of us out there who, I am sure, have been helped immensely
by your Project. I know that for myself, once I wrote my letter and
sent it off to you, I felt suddenly as though angels had lifted
rocks from my soul.
What has
weighted me down for all the years of my life is suddenly gone as
though it never even happened. It is very strange, but I am not
kidding. I suddenly cannot remember anything more that is bad at
all. Thank you forever for this great gift to all of us.
Peace and blessings and I wish the
best life has to offer for all the days of your life.
-Anne Copeland, California
Writing this letter was a
catharsis. I never really realized the power of forgiveness until I
forgave my mother, accepted forgiveness from her, and forgave
myself. I wrote this letter on Tybee Island, GA. Upon its
completion, I rolled it up, put it in a bottle, and threw it into
the ocean. As I watched it float away, and then eventually sink, I
felt a weight lifted from me, refreshed and renewed. As I stood next
to some seagulls on the beach, I felt like I would not just fly
again but I would soar!
-L.A. Dano, Norcross, Georgia
I have grappled with a dichotomous
existence all my life—struggling to remain true to my writer’s soul
while desperately trying to fit into the mold the world carved out
for me. The internal work I had to do to complete my letter dredged
up a plethora of wildly mixed emotions, but the resulting epiphany
liberated my spirit. I am now free to be me.
-Angel Brown, New York
My entry letter for your contest
helped reveal to me so many things. I still struggle with the
effects of an unbelievable amount of wrong decisions and choices I
have made throughout my life—not because of the relationship I had
with my mother but rather because we basically had no relationship
other than her screaming and yelling. Thank you for helping me to
see and understand so many things I did not have the ability to
comprehend.
-Carole C. O’Brien, Illinois
Thank you very much for your kind
words. I am looking forward to reading other people’s work and
appreciate the opportunity to have a path on which to write my words
down. Writing the letter was more therapeutic than I can explain.
-Amy Eastburn, Corvallis, Oregon
What a beautiful, beautiful gift
you’ve given us Lisa. The Letters From The Heart Project™ answers
the most profound of questions: How can we love each other and
ourselves better right now?
I wish for
every daughter on the planet to visit this website and participate.
There is an amazing treasure chest hidden within the relationship we
share with our mother.
Writing Mom a letter with
forgiveness and appreciation is one of the greatest acts of love we
can give her and ourselves.”
Mary Marcdante
Keynote Speaker, Author, Media Guest, Online Resource
Helping People Deepen and Expand Their Appreciation Of Themselves,
Their Relationships, Work and Life
Author of My Mother, My Friend
Mary@marymarcdante.com
www.marymarcdante.com
It was a wonderful exercise. I
found myself crying, smiling, and reflecting on the wonderful woman
I have had the opportunity to be mothered by.
-Cheryl Lindly, Arizona
As I wrote my heart out to my
mother, she said I looked more like my father and acted more like
him than any of the other children. I realized how much my father’s
death crushed my mother. I came along the only black-headed child,
dark eyes and high cheekbones. The only one of the five that wanted
an education and worked to achieve it. But I think I reminded her
too much of my father, and she could not handle it. Thank you for
this opportunity and for the inner healing I received from writing
this.
-Willie Miller
Letters From The Heart
Project ™ is a sacred space of emotions – a place to consciously
honor the relationships most dear to us, and appreciate the
subtleties and sanctity of the human heart that make life sublime.
Thank you, Lisa, for creating
the opportunity for me to express the depth of my love for this
wondrous, multifaceted, life-giving force called Mother. By having
people connect to the heart, you elevate the world.
Dianne Collins
Creator-Author of Quantum Think ®
Dianne@quantumthink.com
www.quantumthink.com
I found this exercise to be an
enjoyable exercise in honesty and memory. Thank you for dreaming
this up, and I hope the result will be a book full of illuminating
and comforting stories.
-Yvonne Adalian, Canada
I would like to thank you and
Heartfelt Matters, Inc. for putting forward such a lovely
opportunity to many daughters in this world. All the best to you and
your team for this Project.
-Nidhi Anand, Mumbai-India
Everyone has a mother. It is
through this primal, life-giving connection that we begin to love
and understand ourselves and others. The Letters From The Heart
Project ™ is an opportunity for daughters to open their own hearts
and, from there, to open the hearts of the world. Thank you, Lisa,
for providing a venue for us to express the depth of our love and
adoration for those who have given us our lives. Your project has
touched me and will touch many others.
With humble gratitude,
Kathleen Potter, MA,
Psychotherapist
Relationship Coach
kdsuccess@mindspring.com
This really was a great experience
for me. A lot of the stuffing I’ve done over the years came out in
that letter along with some processing. Thank you for the
opportunity. My sister, who has been estranged from my mother for
about 10 years, called 10 minutes before we were going to eat. She
asked if she could come over for coffee. She knew everyone was
there. She hasn’t seen my Grandmother, who is 90, for 10 years. My
mother hasn’t seen her grandchildren for 10 years. And there they
were all together for a while. Reconciliation was at work. I praise
God. I am very thankful. Keep up the good work.
-Kathy Bruins, Michigan
This is a wonderful Project and,
though I write to my mother frequently, undertaking this exercise
brought out so many feelings and memories I’ve not been able to
fully communicate to her.
-Sarah Aspinall, New Zealand
This heartfelt Project and
book transcends the admirable goal of reconnecting daughters to
mothers. Writing a letter that articulates heretofore-unexpressed
emotions is a healing process that benefits both the sender and the
receiver. Kudos’ to the author for impressing upon us the importance
of reaching out to our loved ones before it too late.
Read it and Reap,
Sam Horn, Author and Speaker
Tongue Fu Series – (What’s Holding You Back?, ConZentrate, Take the
Bully By the Horns)
www.SamHorn.com
Lisa, I am very, very impressed
with your diligent efforts in promoting the Letters From The Heart
Project. For many reasons, it appears to be a very noble and well
thought out Project and, frankly, a cathartic necessity in
mother-daughter relationships.
-Pat Hooker, Rowlett, Texas
I have sent my mom the letter, as I
fondly call it. Thank you for the avenue to open up the heart. My
letter was full of questions for my mother. The questions will never
be absent and she will never see the letter, but it helped me to ask
the questions that needed to be asked and now to live with
questions. What this letter did for me was to open my heart. It also
helped me to write to the woman who has been like a mother to me for
almost 30 years and tell her how much I appreciate her being there
for me in so many ways. So thank you and may you be encouraged in
your endeavor to help daughters write their mothers and open their
hearts.
-Nita Haddad, Michigan
My mother always told me that no
matter what I did she would be there for me. Yet when I would come
for her understanding, she always felt that my actions didn’t fit
her definition. My life was a metaphor of mixed messages. Her way
was the only way, and as such there was no communication. No
communication meant no closure for me before she died.
That is until now. Lisa, thank you
for the opportunity you afforded me to talk to my mother through
these heartfelt letters. You and your Letters From The Heart
Project™ have played a big part in my opening my heart and allowing
me to communicate with her, even though she is gone.
To say the
things I want to say, that needed to be said. You have helped me
convert my wounded heart into a compassionate, feeling heart.
Blessings. You’re an angel in disguise.
Raleigh Pinskey
International Speaker and Author
Author of 101 Ways to Promote Yourself
Raleigh@promoteyourself.com
www.promoteyourself.com
I am so impressed that you took the
time to write to each person who submitted a letter. To answer your
question, my mother is not doing well at all. However, in June the
doctors told us she’d live a maximum of 3 months – and she’s still
here. As you can tell from my letter, my mother is a very strong
person. You are right – I am very lucky to be able to process my
emotions while my mom is still with me. I can assure you that
nothing has been left unsaid. I just love her very much. Thank you
for facilitating this awesome letter-writing Project.
-Jessica Stephens, California
It is my honor and privilege to
share a dream and a life mission fulfillment with Lisa and her
Letters From The Heart Project™. This is a very important
opportunity to share intimate thoughts of gratitude toward the
institution upon which all mankind comes from: our beloved Mother,
Mentor, and Caregiver.
Lisa, the world owes you much
gratitude for your project. So many of us have hidden
feelings, perhaps even long-forgotten memories, from our experiences
with the ones we call Mom. Yet, here comes along a chance to open
our hearts and rekindle the light of truth by sharing our deepest
heartfelt moments that make us realize we are here today because of
our mothers.
May your work be an awakening
for this world and a spiritual release to all those who step forward
in honoring the greatness of their mothers. And may this light shine
upon your own Mom and your loved ones forever.
Reb Chaim Daskal, M.Ed., LC
Coach, Author, Business Strategist
rebchaim@rebchaim.com
Thank you for allowing this
wonderful process to take place. I think this is a wonderful way to
express creativity and express true emotions through writing. It
would be an honor to grace the pages of your book, but to be heard
is also gratification for my heart.
-Tammy Gartley, Chicago, Illinois
This is one of the most difficult
projects I have ever worked on. It think it is the most rewarding
one too. I want to thank you.
-Helen Chen, Rochester, Minnesota
Because many have lost the
knowledge of their hearts and their special love for their moms,
they can now realize their best possibilities due to your work.
Lisa, you are incredible.
We need to look back and reflect
what is special in our lives, then assist others to see this in
their own lives. Those who do not have positive reflections need to
understand why, so they can share their insights with future
generations. I’m glad to be part of your project.
Dave Bell, President
Incredible Speakers’ Bureau, Inc.
speakwell@incrediblespeakers.com
www.incrediblespeakers.com
The letter I wrote is my first
experience at publicizing my feelings about my childhood. I felt a
great relief after I mailed it.
-Courtnea Spark, New York
I appreciate the tone of your
website and the way you provided many of us a chance to heal,
resolve, and put closure to this very powerful relationship with
mother..
-Rose Stauffer, Virginia
Even if my letter doesn’t get
accepted, I had a wonderful time writing it. Because, you see, all
these things in life are what make it worth writing something of
this nature. Thank you for the opportunity to write. I think it was
just what I needed. I think it is a great Project.
-Cynthia Seasons, Canada
Thank you so much for this very
healing opportunity to submit my letter to you. I hope other women
have been able to celebrate the gift of the unique bond that exists
between a daughter and mother. For better or worse, it contributes
to who we are and who we will become. You have touched many lives
with your idea.
-Susan Rutherford, Canada
Thanks so much for creating
the Letters From The Heart Project™. What a great way to strengthen
and heal the relationships between daughters and mothers.
When my mother, Dolores, died of
breast cancer, I realized there was so much I had not said to her.
The day of her funeral I wrote a poem titled “I Will Miss You, Mom.”
All the emotion I was feeling was poured into that poem. Several
months later, I became certified as a Triple Touch Instructor for
the American Cancer Society. For the program, I wrote “My Mother,
The Star” as a tribute. It was my way to recover from her death.
Thank you again, Lisa. I know this
project will have a positive impact on daughters and mothers
everywhere.
Heidi Richards
Florist, Author, International Speaker
Heidi@SpeakingWithSpirit.com
www.HeidiRichards.com
www.EdenFlorist.com
I enjoyed writing my letter very
much and believe your Project to be a very worthwhile one.
-Pat Degood, California
Writing this letter was an
enriching and rewarding experience. Already in the process, this
letter helped me to focus on the task and use my writing to smooth
out the crinkles. I look forward to reading the collection of
letters when it is published. I hope at some point a similar
collection will be edited for women writing letters to their
fathers. My father has been gone for eight years and I have a lot to
say.
-Renee Cassese, New York
Since my ALS diagnosis (Lou
Gehrig’s disease), my friends encourage me to write memoir and
poetry. Writing gives me a sense of accomplishment, and using the
letter format required by “Letters From The Heart Project” opened up
a new and satisfying perspective for me.
-Carol A. Johnson, California
Enclosed is my article from my heart
to your eyes.
What a
wonderful way of expressing love and forgiveness. Thank you for this
opportunity. I have written for many years but this was very good
therapy for me.
-Mrs. Pat Miller, Missouri
Thank you sincerely for this
wonderful opportunity to express myself.
-Carol Hardacre, Washington
I am very glad, it was a great
experience that really made me think about my relationship with my
mother. Thank you for giving me the chance to write it down, and
think about it in my heart.
-Kimberly P., Nevada
I wish more people would take the
time to write letters. The art of letterwriting is becoming a lost
art form. Letters take time, thought, and planning. E-mail are
thoughts off the top of your head. I do like email, but it is
different than a letter that you hold and treasure.
-Sherri Shunfenthal, Virginia
Thanks so much for the attentive
reading you gave my letter! It felt like a burden was lifted from my
heart after writing it. I haven’t given it to my mother yet, but I
plan to give it to her at Thanksgiving when I see her. We live at a
distance from each other and she’s not much of a writer. I want to
give her the opportunity to talk with me about it if she wants to.
Thanks again for setting up the contest. I’m sure you’ve helped many
other people besides me put into words the things they’ve kept in
their hearts for so long.
-Vivian Reed, California
The purpose of this letter is to
share my understanding of Ms. Delman’s project, particularly in the
context of today’s prevailing social, political and economic
conditions.
Firstly, The Letters from the Heart
Project was conceived by Ms. Delman out of her personal experience
of catharsis, forgiveness, and healing from writing to her own
mother during a critical time. Through the process she gained
something she felt important to offer to other women: the insight
that important tools of healing lie within! Ms. Delman invites women
to take responsibility for their own recovery to wholeness. As such,
the essence of The Project is empowering.
At a time when there is broad
distrust in the medical community, HMO’s, and Pharmaceutical
Companies, Ms. Delman’s Project is a guided self-help alternative.
Ms. Delman’s intent is to help women help themselves. It is pure.
Therapists often prescribe letter writing as homework for patients.
For those who cannot afford therapy or those who might need the
gentle nudging from someone who has “been there” perhaps the Project
will serve as a starting point.
Of course there is often a need for
clinical psychology in the uncovering process of deeper wounds. Ms.
Delman is aware of this. In addition she does not portray herself as
a mental health professional.
Ms. Delman is all heart. As a
psychologist, I know that people yearn for this and respond to it.
The Letters from the Heart Project is in perfect step with our
times.
Maura S. Cohen, Psy. D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
DrMauraCohen@bellsouth.net
|
