If I were to pick one person that I know I want to be like when I grow up, it would be my mom. My mom is about as strong as they come, and I admire her deeply for it. I know that she puts up with a lot, especially from me, but she manages to finish each day with a smile on her face–something I know can be hard to do at times.

My mother is like the ocean; she is strong and powerful, respected and loved, and above all else, calming and welcoming. My mom is definitely the person that I would say feels like ‘home’ to me. We have been through a lot together, my mom and I, and I know that if I were in her shoes I probably couldn’t deal with me the way that she has.

I was definitely the one with the rough case of teen angst in the house during high school. If there is anything that I have learned, though, it is that there literally is no love like a mother’s love. My mom has taught me how to accept myself as well as others, and how to love unconditionally. She is good at thinking through situations in an unbiased way, and I admire that amount of open-mindedness that she carries with her every day. If there is one lesson that my mom has taught me that will stay with me forever, it is this: Mom is always right.

I don’t like being touched much (at all), but secretly, as I’m sitting on my couch two and a half hours away from her, I miss her hugs, and I miss her lying on my bed with me occasionally before she left for work. Roommate hugs just aren’t the same as mom hugs. We have had our ups and our downs, just like any other mom and daughter, but my mom has instilled in my sister and me both that she has this awesome amount of unconditional love for us, and I’ll never forget that. I hope she knows that we love her more, though—yes, mom, it’s possible.

Aside from all of the things my mom is, there are many things that my mom does that really mean a lot to me, and have shown me how to become the woman that I want to be one day. From day one, I think my mom has been my biggest fan and support system in music. I laugh about this now, but I remember so clearly in sixth grade, it was the night before the County Honors Orchestra auditions. I had decided for about a week that I wouldn’t audition, but I guess deep down, I really did want to audition. I ended up on the floor of my bedroom crying over the fact that I wanted to audition, but never signed up. My mom came into my room, calmed me down, and the next day, took me to the audition. I didn’t make it into the orchestra that year, but every year after that, I auditioned, and up until my senior year of high school, we went to auditions together. I’ll always remember this as ‘our thing’.

Honestly, without my mom convincing me to stay in music in middle school, I don’t think I would have continued, and I don’t know where I would be or who I would be right now if she didn’t step in to stop me from quitting. Music is my life, and I owe it to my mom for believing in me and unlocking a part of me that I don’t think would be unlocked otherwise.

My sister and I also played sports for pretty much all of our lives. Between endless nights of squeaky ‘Hot Crossed Buns’, and weekly soccer practices, I don’t know how my mom did it. There was never anything that we couldn’t do, my mom always made sure that if there was an experience to be had, we would have it, and I will not exaggerate when I say that my mom has taught my sister and me exactly how to enjoy life and to cherish each day to its fullest.

A quote from my mom when family times got crazy and hectic a couple months back: “We just get shit done." She said this with a smile on her face, and if I could pick a moment to describe my mom perfectly, it would be this one. Just the way she smiled, she must’ve looked into my brain and seen how badass I really think she is. Not much can stop my mom, and I hope that one day, I can become, just as my mom has become, an ocean in the flesh.