Mothers are a gift. I am not saying this to be cliche, but mothers truly are gifts, whether they are blood, forster mothers, adopted mothers, or a mother-figure. Mother’s day is often put on the back burner as just another holiday or an excuse for little grade-school children to make crafts. However, these lovely ladies deserve more than just a day's-worth of thanks. They deserve far more than many of us give them on a regular basis. It is not easy being a grown female role model, taking on responsibilities for the sake of others.

I am fortunate to have a mother who has been an excellent role model for me. She has been a great example of what a person should be in life: kind, caring, respectful, graceful, and so much more. She has sacrificed so much for me in the past twenty-one years of my life and even before I entered this world. She is the most supportive person in my life. She has made every effort to attend all of my competitions and sports games. She has made it to every band concert, including the ear-splitting elementary school concerts. She has put so much time and energy into making sure I was happy and being a productive member of society.

It is true, however, that some people have not had the greatest experiences with their mothers, if they have even had one at all. I do consider myself to be a very fortunate person in this regard. I could never imagine the pain of those who have had negative experiences with their mothers. I could never live without mine, but I sincerely hope that everything, in their lifetime, meets someone who they can call “mom.” The expression “blood is thicker than water” gets passed around from time to time, but I do not believe this is always the case. “Blood” refers to the family that you are related to genetically, and “water” refers to the people in your life who you love who are outside of the blood family. There are people in life who may treat you better than your own flesh and blood. These people, although they are not related through blood, are still family.

For those of us preparing to celebrate mother’s day, I hope that we can all make this a special time for all of the moms in our life. Wake up early, and make her a special breakfast. Spend the entire day doing things that she enjoys. Remember, she sacrifices her time for your health and happiness every day. Make sure she feels loved. Tell her that you love her and always will. Do what you can to make her smile from ear to ear because she deserves it.

You are lucky to have her, and she is lucky to have you! In honor to all of the “moms” out there, I wish you the happiest of Mother’s Days!