A mother teaches her daughter about “true” role models; a film counters the stories of women instrumentalists in the jazz movement; Marie Dutton Brown traces her journey in the publishing world over the last 43 years; Dr. Jackson Katz argues that violence against women should be reframed as a man’s isssue; and, after they’ve attracted more than 10 million YouTube views, meet the Internet’s “Cutest Couple Ever.”

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

My mother’s favorite annual event was her Kentucky church’s Mother-Daughter Night. I was invited every year, but never made it. Mommie reminded me when my sisters were unavailable that she “had to adopt a daughter” for that night, but “Never mind.” Well, she did mind, and I did know it.

By Susan Soriano

My late mother, Marcelina, wasn’t a wild thing, but she had heart and she had grit. She could snake clogged pipes, wring the neck of a bound-for-supper chicken—and brag about being the only hospital worker on her shift to give a big hug to the AIDS patient in the corner room.

By Toni Myers

Mother did outrageous things—cut the telephone cord when she thought Father had gotten too many calls (you have to be old to understand that this was just not done). She covered our dog Hansy with Chanel No. 5 after he got into the dead fish by the lake water. She drove across state lines to get fireworks in Ohio, setting them off like a maniac in northern Michigan . . .

This Mother’s Day, we share with you the gifts we gave our mothers that, often to our great surprise (and relief), lit up their world. These gifts—some frivolous, some extravagant, some well-planned, others whimsically chosen—would turn out to create lasting memories of our relationships with our mothers.

By Diane Dettmann

Standing in my bedroom, dressing for my retirement party, I heard a tiny voice filtering down the hallway and through the door. I hobbled into the living room; my eyes landed on a petite lady, dressed in a blue suit, relaxing in our swivel rocking chair. She smiled at me. My first thought was, “Oh my God, that’s my future mother-in-law!”

By Jennifer Cheyne

Somehow, working two jobs, my mother—widowed at 23—raised her three girls. We had a TV set and a house in a safe neighborhood and got educations and survived long enough to hate her for all that she wasn’t.

In this week’s Wednesday 5: Afghan Journalist Najiba Ayubi wins a ‘Courage in Journalism’ Award; a father’s well-intentioned letter to his young daughter about keeping a “man’s interest” turns controversial; the “Great Gatsby” film unearths a myriad of misrepresentations and stereotypes about the 1920s flapper; “Scandal,” as ridiculous as the plots are, works because of cast chemistry; and a poignant video re-imagines a world where hate crimes don’t exist.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin’s wit, forthrightness, and perceptiveness make the book special. She calmly addresses the fears and selfish motivations we visitors would never admit to, and offers counsel on dilemmas we’d have no idea how to handle.

By Chris Lombardi

In “Holding Silvan,” Monica Wesolowska explores with honesty the kind of questions most of us don’t want to think about — the kind of choices people make for their loved ones when they’re about to die.

By Rabbi Leah Berkowitz

Though Biblical, Talmudic, medieval, Enlightenment, and contemporary times, the seder has been a call to change the world, change oneself, and move from bondage to freedom.

By Martha Fontaine LaValla

This is one of my favorite book titles. It has many extension possibilities. One my father might have liked is “Being Dead Is No Excuse for Not Planning One’s Own Funeral.” When we went through his neatly entitled “Death” folder, it was no surprise to find his obituary as well as a personalized, pre-printed bulletin for the Requiem Eucharist he wanted, complete with chosen psalms and favorite hymns.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D

I am the stepmother of a 27-year-old woman who makes life almost unbearable for me. Do you have any suggestions for intervention?

By Roz Warren

If Samson had had a good therapist, he might have refrained from tormenting the Philistines. Or falling for Delilah, who, clearly, was a Very Bad Choice. And then where would the Jewish People be?

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

Mommie was waiting for us. I have heard that the dying do wait for those they love, and this has now happened to me twice. Once, when my mother-in-law Natalie was dying, she, too, waited for us as we drove the eight hours from Kentucky to Orchard Lake, Michigan.