What Do You Love Most About Your Mother?

Hands down, mothers have the most difficult job on the planet.

Their boss is always a younger and extremely demanding individual; especially their first few years on the job.  They are on call 24 hours and are never paid overtime.  In fact, they aren’t paid at all; they actually end up paying to work.  Their patience is tried time and time again to the point of breaking.  And there is no early retirement, they work until their time on this planet has come to an end.  Who in their right mind would ever sign up for a job like this?

The most incredible women in the world.

One’s entire life could be spent preparing for the day they begin their family and give birth to their first child, but no mother is ever fully equipped to handle the dramatic transformation their life will undergo.

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.”
            – Rajneesh

A mother and her child enter the world simultaneously.  One is the caregiver and the other defines dependency.  Much of a mother’s life is spent giving, while receiving little in return.  But there are moments, instances of euphoria, when a mother’s love is consciously reciprocated by their offspring.

My goal was to replicate such a moment by soliciting the help of friends and loved ones to answer one simple question:

What do you love most about your mother?

The response was amazing and the answers heartwarming; thank you to all those who contributed.  Below are the replies of 10 close friends, each with a unique perspective of what it means to love and be loved by their mother.  I hope you will find them as moving as I did…

“What I like most about my mom is how she raised me to be a humble soul. She would always keep me in check by letting me know that I may be good at whatever it was I thought I was good at, but there was always going to be someone better. I could see how this would make a kid feel as if he was never good enough, but that is not how I interpreted it nor was it the way my momma wanted me to interpret it. Nay, rather I used her saying as a way to push myself to my absolute best so that whoever that person was that was better was going to have to be damn good!”
            – Parker

“What I love most about my mom is her strength. She has handled so many life challenges and she teaches me to be strong in the face of adversity. It’s a priceless value.”
            – George

“One of the best things about my mom, as well as my grandma, is that they are outstanding cooks and love doing classy holidays.  We used to, before we started having it at my sister’s house, have really great holiday feasts.  It was just like going to a really nice hotel or restaurant for dinner.  Even though they used every damn dish in the kitchen (because they knew the guys had to clean the dishes) I still enjoyed the cooking and the feeling like the holidays were both important and special for everyone.”
            – Nielsen

“I love the fact that I can count on her to be her no matter what. Stubborn and set in her ways, yet open minded enough to have put up with all I’ve thrown at her these past 30 years. She’s a true friend; always available to talk to, always offering encouraging words, and there to help pick up the pieces if they fall.”
            – Dan

“One of the many reasons why I love my mom is because she is one of the most ‘real’ people I have ever known. My mom lives for love, excitement, laughter and to make her family happy and content. She and my dad raised me and my sister to always ‘be true to ourselves in all we do and in all we are.’ She is my role model. I admire the way she lives her life so genuinely and couldn’t ever thank her for all the valuable lessons she has taught me. You can’t teach someone confidence, but I owe my strong self esteem to my mom. She instilled self confidence in me, that only she had the power to do. She has sacrificed an immeasurable amount of time, emotion, and energy raising me and I will never be able to repay her for that. I know she loves me genuinely and completely as I am. She doesn’t want me to be anyone else but who I am; and that is a wonderful thing.”
            – Lara

“I love her constant efforts in strengthening our friendship. She will undoubtedly
always be my mother… but a friendship takes time and effort to create and
maintain!!”
            – Georgie

“What I love about my mom:
Her unwavering support of any decision I make.  Her complete understanding of where I’m coming from when we talk to each other.  Cus she’s the ish!”
            – Tyler

“I love that my mom is my best friend and will talk to me about anything from boys, to clothing styles, to genetics, to our crazy family members.  I really never have to hold anything back from my mom.  I love that my mom put her life on hold after her divorce to be a dedicated mother.  She proved to be completely selfless.  Working full-time and raising two kids (both involved in athletics and busy social lives) requires a lot from anyone, especially a woman having to battle her ex-husband through it all.  I love that my mom is a real person.  She is open with me about her sensitive nature, her fears and her dreams.  It is nice to know that composed individuals do not always have it together and you’re allowed to be vulnerable at times.”
            – Kim

“What I love about my mother is that she is why I am here and why I am pushing myself to be the best. She pushes me to the best by telling me to take every opportunity I can.  My mom is the strongest in the most difficult situations; whether it’s choosing what to make that night or how to pay the bills. My mom will have an answer to any situation and the reasoning to all. All of this has made me see the point of view of both sides of every situation. She is someone to talk to and relate to.  Even if you’ve just met her, you’ll be talking with her for hours. She has overcome many obstacles in life and that’s what I admire most.  I love my mom.”
            – Joshua

“I love my mom for more reasons than I can count, but to list the one thing that sticks out the most in my mind would be that she truly cared for every person she came in contact with.  My mom was the most caring person I’ve ever known.  My mom endured some very trying and difficult days in her life; however she did not allow the pain she endured to impact the compassion she had for the wellbeing of others.  A great example of this care was shown near the end of her life.  My mom spent the majority of the last two months of her life in the hospital through a final round of chemotherapy treatment in an attempt to extend her life.

In the days since her passing I’ve felt extremely thankful for all of the ways she cared for me.  I’m blessed for every daily phone call, note in the mail, hugs, kisses, advice, and love she gave me.  I’m also blessed to have witnessed her showing care for people she encountered in her daily live that wouldn’t have expected to receive care from her.

Throughout her stay at the hospital the doctors, nurses, nurses’ aides, nutritionists, physical therapists, maids, etc. would be in and out of her room performing their various duties.  In less than a month my mom had become friends with every one of them.  She found out specific details about their lives and what made them happy.  She wished them the best weekends possible, and told them she looked forward to seeing them when they returned to work.  In return for her care, these people would cross right over whatever acceptable behavior rules were outlined for them in their employment contracts, and showered her with hugs and kisses on a daily basis.  In 2012! Hugs and kisses! During times when I’m sure hospital employees are specifically trained to avoid any such contact, these people disregarded any forbidden contact rules and returned the love my mom showed for them.  It was beautiful to see.”
            – Kris

So, what do I love most about my mother?

I love her unwavering love for her baby boy.  I love her courage and strength to press on through rough waters when the odds are stacked against her.  I love her caring nature for all those around her; friends, family, and co-workers, she will do anything to make them happy.  I love her undying support for all of my crazy adventures.  She has sacrificed her own happiness at times to ensure that I always had the opportunity to enjoy the journey.  These are her most incredible qualities…

All of which she has passed on to me.

I love you mom.

Happy Mother’s Day.

What do you love most about your mother?  Don’t be afraid to share in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!

*I would like to add that I am extremely fortunate to have my mother in my life.  One of my very good friends and an amazing individual, Kris, recently lost his mother to leukemia and ovarian cancer.  The story of his relationship with his mother has touched me in an unbelievable way.  With his permission, I have dedicated a special post this week to his story, so stayed tuned.  I hope you will find it as inspiring as I have and will share it with others.