May is the month to celebrate mothers. I give my mother, grandmother, and aunts extra loving this month. There are so many amazing women in my life who have been such wonderful role models to me. Whether they’re mothers or not, they have taught me what it means to be a strong woman.

There is one person in particular I’d like to thank this month, someone I am blessed to call my spiritual mother. She is someone close to my heart. She is not a mother to a biological child, but I know she is a spiritual mother to many.

To me, she has been the biggest blessing. I met her about two years ago through a religious organization we are both heavily involved in. God truly knew what He was doing when He placed her in my life. In two short years, she has impacted my life more than anyone ever has.

I don’t think she hears it enough, so I want to say, thank you. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for boldly giving testimony after testimony for the sake of young women. Without you, I would not know what I am truly destined for. Without you courageously telling your testimony, I wouldn't realize that there is a man out there ready to love me and meet me where I am. I know that there is a man who is praying for me and that he is someone special that God has intended just for me.

Just when I feel like I am falling from grace, you somehow make your way into my life and remind me whose daughter I am. You remind me that I am loved and that God’s mercy is greater than any mistake I could ever make.

Life has thrown challenge after challenge at you, and you gracefully accept and believe in the Lord’s will for you. Your openness has inspired me to be more open with God and with others. I believe that God has destined you to be a mother. Although it may not be the way you had intended all of your life, you are making an impact in the lives of so many people. You were called by the Lord to be my mother and I will never be able to thank you enough for saying, "Yes!" to Him.

Your "yes" has allowed God to use you in such a special and unique way. You are doing things in the lives of so many that others don't have the opportunity to do. Because you have accepted this beautiful and gracious call, God has used you to inspire, motivate, encourage, and love others. God has also used you to pray for others. I know that if nobody else is thinking of me, I know you are praying for me.

May is a month Catholics devote to Mary, the Mother of God. Mary is a spiritual mother to women and this month, I’d like to honor you, my spiritual mother, for all the things you do and for the unconditional love you give.