Mothers are God's greatest gift to the world; they are our eternal protectors, caregivers, and companions. Of course, not all mothers are the same, but I can without a doubt say I have been blessed with a pretty spectacular one. When I am down, she is the first one to provide a hand to help me back up. My number one fan always, she has helped me instill a strong sense of faith in myself and my ambitions. Whenever I reflect on the amazing woman that my mother is, I realize how I will never be like her.
She is self-sacrificing.
Not to say that I haven't made some sacrifices in my lifetime, but my mom is by far one of the most selfless human beings I have ever met. She almost never spends money on herself, but will jump at the chance to pay for anything I need. Sometimes, she'll even buy me things when she's with me in the store that I just can't take my eyes off of, even if her budget tells her she shouldn't. Her schedule is practically molded around me and my siblings—there was hardly ever a game, practice, rehearsal or show that she missed going to or taking us to growing up. Even now when we've all grown and moved out, she makes sure to talk to all of us as much as she can, and still manages to come to every single philanthropy event/performance I participate in at school. She makes these sacrifices because nothing brings her greater joy than to see her children happy, and that is a quality in her that I admire more than anything.
She is a hard worker.
Being a mom isn't always easy, and it's especially difficult when you are on your own. However, the single mom role is one my mother took on with fierce determination and dedication. She has always worked hard to ensure that my siblings and I had everything we needed growing up. If there was ever a sport or activity we wanted try out, answering "no" was never even an option to her. There are times that I can barely manage to make it to my part-time job with a smile, but at points my mom managed to juggle a part time job and a career for the sake of her kids without even rolling her eyes. Of course, there are days when she comes home from work tired and grumbling, seeing as how she's only human, but she does not let the stress of her job alter her diligence to it.
She's my No. 1 fan.
Like I said before, there was barely a single activity or event that my siblings and were in that she didn't go to growing up. Even if it was something she didn't exactly agree with or understand, she stood by and supported us through it all. I mean, really, what mother wants to hear that her son wants to enlist in the army or that her daughter is quite possibly considering majoring in theater? Regardless, my mom has always told us to believe in ourselves and be whoever we want to be and has fiercely assisted and protected us on the path to our futures.
She deals with my attitude.
I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't exactly the easiest child to raise. I was a teenage brat at one point, after all, just as any other girl. There were times when my mother and I didn't exactly see eye to eye, and many times when I didn't understand or appreciate her motives. However, my mom didn't let any disagreements stand in the way of her being a good mother. Even when we had fights that lasted more than a couple days, she still fed me, did my laundry, paid for what I needed and so much more. She never once hinted at kicking me out or not being there for me, which is something I am very thankful for. And at the end of every fight, when I couldn't stand the tension anymore and would just hug her and say sorry, she'd smile and forgive me right away, apologizing herself if she knew there was something she did, too. Her patience and unconditional love are things I can only dream to have to the level she does when I am a mother myself.
I will never be like my mother because the love and support she has shown me over the years goes beyond words. I will never be like my mother because there is no one that knows how to be a parent and a friend quite like she does. I will never be like my mother because I can only dream that I will be half the woman she is one day. I love you forever mom. Thank you for all that you do.
