Long before she became the "Divine Miss M," Bette Midler was a divine little girl with a divine love of nature.

Before midday, Wednesday, May 9th, America was a different place. Millions of our people in all states were living in torment. They'd not only spent their young lives hiding who they were, they'd grown up to discover they had to hide who they loved.

It's Mother's Day again, and whether your mom is still with us or gone, it's a time when we all can't help but stop for a moment, and recall all of those memories about her that we still hold in our hearts -- the touching ones, the inspiring ones, the sad ones and the funny ones.

I couldn't get away from it. My girlfriends were talking about it; columnists were writing about it; Saturday Night Live was spoofing it. It was all I heard about.

I'm all plugged in at this point. And now I'm constantly discovering new apps, gadgets and gizmos that I just love.

I wanted to share a wonderful speech by my friend Maria Shriver from her daughter's graduation from my alma mater, USC. There is wonderful wisdom in her words. She is right that all too often in our own lives we are not living in the moment, always for something tomorrow, next week or next year.

In celebration of romance and commitment, here's a look at some of Phil's and my personal photos, as well as a collection of celebrity couples who have defied the odds and stayed in the zone.

As we head into the presidential election, a tremendous amount of media attention is being focused on Michelle Obama and Ann Romney. While opinions may differ as to whether a First Lady (presiding or aspiring) deserves such levels of scrutiny, there is no denying that the position itself requires strength, dignity and resolve.

Adults often underestimate children's ability to grasp the heart of a concept -- or run with an idea of their own -- but we're wrong. They're a lot smarter and more take-charge than we think. We're seeing that ability take hold now with bullying.