There is nobody in this life that I would rather have as my No. 1 than my mother. She has been there for me through everything. She has made me laugh, she has wiped my tears, she has supported me and there is honestly nothing better than having a mother and a best friend all wrapped in one. There are so many reasons why she’s my number one so let’s get to it.

1. She picks me up whenever I am sad.

There have been so many heartbreaks and sadness that I have endured in my lifetime. Breakups, my pets passing, my grades, my days of being bullied… she was there for me. She never failed to cheer me up and make me feel better about myself, or to make me love myself just as much as she loved me.

2. She is my forever shopping partner.

Nooooooobody literally understands how much I love shopping other than my momma. And no matter how much money I spend she is always right there beside me spending just as much (literally). I love that I always have somebody to shop with and encourage me to buy things even when I shouldn’t.

3. She fully supports me and always defends me.

No matter what I choose to do with my life, no matter what mistakes I make, I have her there. She never fails to tell me how proud she is of me, and never fails to make me feel like everything I do is better than I feel it is. Even when I am in the wrong, my mother never ever fails to defend me and still manage to see the good in me.

4. She steers me in the right direction.

Whenever I feel lost, my mom is always the familiar place I can go to talk. She manages to help me find my way and reminds me constantly to lean on God and his power to steer me.

5. She is the strongest woman I know.

My mom has pretty much managed to take care of two kids by herself for 4 weeks at a time while dad is working offshore, maintaining a job AND keeping a clean house. Until she decided to retire early, Mom never focused on herself. But she is a stay at home mom now who literally kicks tail every single day in the gym and is in the best shape of her life… She’s literally the strongest woman that I know, both figuratively and literally.

6. She spots the fake people before I do.

There have been people in my life that my mom knew straight from the get go weren’t there for the right reasons. She never failed to see through them every single time. She told me always, and I never liked it. But she was still there for me when it all hit the fan, even after she had already warned me. She never once said, “I told you so”.

7. She goes out of her way to help.

Mom’s greatest quality is that she literally never sees the bad in anybody. She only ever sees the good things and does everything she can to help somebody in need. She always gives her input, always listens to people, and never turns her nose in their air to anybody. If you need help, she will literally always be there for you, even if you don’t ask. She, thankfully, passed this trait down to me.

8. She has the loudest mouth.

Aaaaaand she also passed this trait down to me as well. Bless her heart, she can be heard from miles away. Her laugh is just as loud. Anytime we go out in public she talks too loud and sometimes I tell her to hush. But... she passed this trait down to me so there’s no reason for me to hush her. It’s actually probably the best thing about her. She’s pretty well like Madea (not kidding).

9. She is the funniest person that I know.

Mom literally has the corniest jokes. She laughs at the silliest things and that makes me laugh. Not to mention ninety percent of the time her laugh is funnier than the joke. But no matter what she never fails to make me laugh with her mispronunciation of words, and butchering her jokes but still laughing anyway.

10. She is my other half.

While there are many ways that I am just like my father, I mostly take after my mom. I am quiet until you get to know me but when you do, it’s like my mother has taken over my body. There is nobody who has loved me the way my mother has. She is my TWIN, she finishes my sentences, she makes me laugh, we always have so much fun together. My mother is an angel; she forgives everybody even when they least deserve it. She is my rock, my heart, and soul, my No. 1, my best friend for life.

(Oh and by the way, I will go ahead and say literally just one more time).