Happy Mother’s Day

My mother was born to be told, “Happy Mother’s Day,” because she was born to be a mother.

This might sound like I’m prescribing an unfair, feminine gender role on my mother, but people who know my mom know that this is not the case. She’s told me several times that for as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a mother.

My mom is the kindest woman I have ever met. She feels honest pangs of discomfort when she sees animals on the side of the road. She’s always open to listening to your problems. She’s willing to drop everything to help out a friend. She thinks of other people’s needs before her own, and that is never more clear when it concerns my sister and myself.

She goes out of her way to tell my sister and me that she loves us. I can honestly say, hand to my heart, that not a single day of my life has passed without my mom telling me that she loves me.

(This became a slight problem when I went to school. I got so used to adding “I love you” to my good-byes with my mom, I even started saying adding them to the good-byes I gave to my friends. That led to some pretty awkward conversations later on.)

If my mom feels that my sister and I are missing something in our lives, she will do her utmost to make sure we eventually have it. (I once casually mentioned that my Xbox Live Gold Membership was expiring, my mom gasped like it was the end of the world, rushed into the nearest GameStop, and bought a year-long membership for me.) I hope I can say that my sister and I aren’t spoiled. (We might be.) But I know I can say for sure that we are both supremely grateful.

My mom is also the best person to take to the movies. She has this child-like suspension of disbelief when she watches one, and she has the best reactions. And her taste in movies is unbelievable. She likes happy endings and calm stories, so the typical Disney movie is what you would expect her to watch. She watches those too, but she’s an enormous fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Transformers series (for some reason).

My mom offers me the ultimate comfort. I have never been in doubt that she loves me, and I wish I could celebrate all she has done for me on more than one day. Happy Mother’s Day seems like such a paltry thing to say to the woman who gave me life and happiness.

But knowing my mother, if I told her that, she’d just say that having me around is enough to make her happy.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom. I love you.