Mother’s Day 2013 may be much like any other Mother’s Day of the past. My mom will receive phone calls from her children spread all around the country, and probably a few special words from her grand kids as well. She may even get a few presents bought for her online. Although if she gets flowers they will make her sad because they die. And the only one right next to her will be my dad, who will do something simple in tribute to the woman who has spent so much of her life as the mother to his children. 

It’s not enough. It’s never enough. For years my mother took care of me every single day, and let’s not kid ourselves, I was not the easiest child. She put up with a daughter who had a dramatic social life, bizarre fashion stages, practiced the tuba at home, and always needed attention. And yet somehow she supported me in everything, after school activities, school work, sports, music, Bible studies, going to friends houses, and often encouraged me to follow activities she knew would take time away from her. But my mother, like many mothers, does what she needs to, not what is the easiest. 

And although her motherly role is different now, it’s not as different as you may think. She still listens to me go on about the cute boy I like, giving the advice of a woman who has enjoyed 37 years of marriage to one great man. She still sacrifices everything to be by my side when I’m in the hospital and need her the most. She still listens to me cry when I feel unloved, knowing the whole time  that her love for me is more than I could ever imagine. 

There is no one that knows me quite like my mother does. She has known me my whole life. But I have also had the privilege of knowing her for the last 27 years. I know when she’ll use a straw and when she’ll drink out of the glass. I know when she’s missing dad, even when she wouldn’t admit it. I can tell when she feels lonely, and like her children don’t care about her; that one should never happen, but it does. I know that she’s the happiest surrounded by her family, animals, fish and plants. I know that she has so much depth that most people never get to see. My mother is wise, smart, strong and has the largest capacity for love that I have ever known. She is not only an extraordinary mother, but she’s an amazing woman.

So this year, when I call and say Happy Mother’s Day, it really means, “I’m so glad I’ve gotten the chance to get to know you. I will never be the same again.”