I was sitting in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center court house in downtown Los Angeles. I got called for jury duty. A responsibility that most upstanding Americans expended their most creative efforts to get out of serving. 300 of my fellow Americans failed to find that perfect excuse.

Mother's Day is coming. But before it does, let's take a sideways glance of affection at all those "minor players" - the women who in small but significant ways have shaped us spiritually. Lots of folks praise the known women of the world -- what I hope we can do here together is to claim honors for the women who inspired us as we went along our life's journey...the mothers-of-our-souls.

Let's face it. Motherhood is tough. It doesn't matter if you live in a small town in the middle of no where or in the bright lights of Hollywood. Whether you have very little money or enough to throw around carelessly. The act of motherhood in and of itself is tough. It is for that reason that it is vital that mothers have a support system. A group of people in her life that can lift her up when she is low. People who can ground her when she is losing it. A support system that will stand by her in both good times and bad and offer support, advice and guidance. For many women one of those people that is so integral in her life is her own mother. That is not, however, always the case. Sometimes women do not have mothers they can count on or who are even around to be able to call upon when needed. Which is why a support system should be an integral part of every mother's life.