This Mother’s Day will be really tough for me. Back in March of last year I lost my mother to cancer. She fought a strong battle against breast cancer, but in the end her cancer took her away from me, my dad, and my family. She had been battling the disease for a few years. Even while she was sick, I was proud of her strength with everything she was going through as she continued to be a wonderful mother to me as well as a loving grandmother to my daughters.

For me, I never really understood the sacrifices that parents go through for their children until I graduated college. I was out on my own and I then realized everything my mom and dad did for me to help me succeed in life. I told them how much I appreciated all of their time, dedication, and most of all the love they have for me.

My mom was a great example of how a person should live their life. She was always teaching us life lessons. I can remember certain things she would say to us throughout the years. One phrase was “The first will be last and the last will be the first.” Growing up in a Catholic family, I would hear many lines from the Bible from my mom when I was doing something wrong. I was and still can be a very impatient person. Growing up with two older sisters, I was always fighting to be first in line or have the first slice of pizza. My mom would quiet us down with that Bible verse if we were fighting over who was going to be the first of whatever it was that particular day. That lesson from her is true today as I smile when I tell my daughters the same thing when they are fighting over a toy.

When I was sick, she did everything to make me feel better. There were certain foods she would make and she would let me watch The Empire Strikes Back over and over until I felt better. I always felt safe and loved around her. I think we all feel that way about our mothers, still I will always remember that I could count on her being there for me no matter the time or day.

When my daughters were born, I saw another layer of her love for me as she showered them with hugs, kisses, and presents. I will always remember one of the first gifts my mom got for Lily. Lily was her first granddaughter and she was so excited that she got a bunch of outfits for Lily in every color which I refer to it as the “rainbow box of clothes.” My parents are not that tech savvy, yet I set them up with a web cam and a Skype account since we lived in different states so we could chat online. We never got to Skype with them on their web cam. My mom said that she preferred to see us in person so they would make several trips down to see us. She never liked the idea of social networking like Twitter or Facebook and never wanted to create an account or be on Facebook. She would rather spend time in person with her family.

I could go on forever about how she made me feel special and loved. I will never be the same person without my mom, but I will remember everything she has done and taught me. Even though we might consider certain holidays to be “Hallmark Holidays” like Mother’s Day, please let me tell you that you should never take this day for granted. No matter where you are on Mother’s Day make sure you take the time to tell your mother how much you love her.