1. Her smile.

The perfect smile and straight teeth that always meant I was off the hook. It was the first thing I looked for every time I made her mad and I never failed to find it. And it was the best form of comfort a ten year old could ever ask for. If I could have it for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t forget how to forgive myself.

2. The calluses on the rough side of her hands.

Impervious to the heat she cooks over, I wonder how many meals it took before she grew used to the heat. I can barely touch microwaved Pyrex, but she can mold hearths out of flames. Turn any morsel into love. Leave no tough situation without hope.

3. Her spine.

God knows how many times the universe has tried to knock her down. Undo evolution and direct her head towards the ground. But every time it came around, she built herself back up again. Like reconstructing toothpicks into a tower, she was careful to give herself a stronger backbone no matter how long it took and how many times she would have to do it again.

4. The seasons in her eyes.

Only she can call upon the heavens to bring hurricanes and rainbows into our home all at once. There is nothing more versatile than the emotions she reveals in those glass windows. No wonder why we call her Mother Nature.

5. Her spirit.

I have seen her body broken. I have watched people tear at her limbs. I have listened to her curse the world she was born into. I have held her as she let the blood of her family run through her fists. And not once has she given up her will to survive.

6. The love that has raised me.

It is both tender and fierce– a characterization of who she is. A relentless promise to watch me turn out alright. A million sacrifices that I can never repay. An infinite expanse of time that she has invested in my being. A soul she crafted with her own two hands. I can only wish that my love can be as honest and unselfish as hers.