My mom, sister and I did something similar for a number of years when we all lived miles apart. My sister was living in New Mexico, I was living in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN and my mom was living in a small town in western Minnesota. My mom started by sending a question with her answer, via email to both my sister and me. My sister and I would reply all and answer back. We took turns asking different questions each week.
No topic was off limits. We wrote about first kisses, favorite vacations, the last time we cried, Christmas memories, times we got really angry, what gives us joy, our favorite books and movies.....
Sometimes I cried when reading their answers because their words touched my heart or made me feel their pain. Lots of times I laughed - our family laughs a lot! Other times I got angry knowing that they had been hurt by someone or something. More often though, they made me think. These women I am so connected to are so intelligent and thoughtful.
We didn't always agree in our answers but not once did I ever hold back an answer because it was "different" from that of my mom's or my sister's. We were never rude to each other and always respected that we are three very different women. Each of our thoughts and opinions were valuable. We love each other and hurting each others' feelings is/was never an option!
Even though we were so physically far apart, I never felt emotionally more closer to them. We have always been a close family but there were still so many things I never knew about each of them. These emails were an amazing way to keep in touch and to learn about each other!
"A daughter is a mother and gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters' role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships." -Victoria Secunda
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