What is a “Mother”?

               Somewhere in our house, in a  drawer full of scraps of lace and bits of paper that just couldn’t be parted with, there are 14 years’ worth of Mother’s Day presents, all carefully preserved in their pink tissue paper and plastic protectors. This year, I wanted to give my mom something different, a testimonial that would stand the test of time. I decided to write. In the process, I discovered the weight the word “mother” carries.               
             A mother is someone who wipes away your tears, who sets her jaw firm, and tells you everything will be all right- even as her eyes glisten because she can’t stand seeing your pain. A mother is someone that laughs at all your jokes no matter how stupid. She is someone who tells you that you look beautiful in your ratty, 3-year-old sweats; the person that tells you to start working out but then cooks you a five-course lunch anyway. After coming home from a long day at work, she is the one who insists on taking you to that place at the mall she had promised she would take you or buying you that cute way over-priced t-shirt. A mother is someone who yells back when you are on a hormonal teenage rampage. But then, she is the first one to come back and say, “I’m sorry”, and that makes you feel even worse. She tells you to come fold your laundry but when you come in an hour later, it’s all neatly folded in little stacks. She works full-time outside the house than comes back and works double-time for no pay and no appreciation. She is the one who first taught you how to use make-up, with you sneaking glances at her in the mirror because she looked so pretty, until you discovered that cherry lip-gloss is way cooler than the old-lady stuff mom has. When she questions, doubts herself or stops being superhuman for a solitary moment, your stomach gets all queasy- you are used to having her fix your boo-boo’s and it is a lot harder the other way around. She is strong, brave, sensitive, kind, loving, smart, adventurous, and courageous. She is everything you aspire to be. Sometimes you don’t see eye to eye (at first because she is taller than you, later because “I can think for myself, thank-you-very-much Mom.”) but she can always tell when something is wrong with a single glance. Her “mother’s intuition” is almost always on point.                                 My mother teaches me to live life without fear. To give without thought. To be a rebel. To laugh at least once a day. To always, see the positive. To be a light to those around me. To have faith at all times. To follow my dreams but also to let loose sometimes. To look and feel confident for whom I am. She is my teacher, my mentor, and my inspiration. She loves me until it sends pain through my chest because I couldn’t possibly deserve so much love, could I?
             A mom is all these things and so many more. She is your support, your lifeline, your bff. So for one day in a year, let her know how special she is- how much she means to you. Because everyone else will come and go. But she will always have your back.