The Difference Between A Mom And Mother: Why I Appreciate What My Mother Has Done For Me
Dear Mom,
I love you. I know that I don’t say it enough. I wish I said it more.
Instead, I wait for an occasion like Mother’s Day when I can run to the store, buy a card that expresses some generic sentiment that loosely applies to our relationship, ascribe an insipid “Love, Aaron” at the bottom and convince myself that I’ve done my duty as a son.
But you deserve more.
You deserve to know the gratitude I feel every moment of every day that when you became a mom, you dedicated yourself to being a mother. That you understood the difference between the two.
Anyone can be a mom.
But a mother inspires you to be the best version of yourself. She instills in you a sense of morality, integrity and virtue. She is there when you triumph and she is there when you fall.
Your passions become her passions. Your dreams become her dreams.
She is there to comfort you the first time you miss a rung on the monkey bars and skin your knee on the pavement. When she rushes to your side, tells you that everything will be okay and that time heals all wounds.
It is a lesson that you don’t fully appreciate until the first time someone breaks your heart. When again, she is by your side, saying once more that in time, the pain will fade way. But that in the meantime, she’ll always be there to wipe away your tears.
She is always your foremost champion, but is never afraid to let you know when you've done something wrong.
She is your rock in moments of despair; the shining light at the end of a dark tunnel that reminds you that life will have its ups and downs, but that it’s always worth living.
She teaches you the importance of respecting all women, but helps you understand the traits to look for when searching for the one who will be mother to your children. A girl who is capable of nurturing, comforting and inspiring your kids in the same way she did for you.
She wakes up early every Sunday to drive you to soccer practice even when she’d rather sleep in. And she stays up late to help you when you’re struggling to study for a big exam.
She demonstrates that there is more to life than fortune, money or fame; that happiness is the only true measure of success. She motivates you to strive for greatness, always, but never to forget those who helped you along the way. To always be a force for good in the world.
She is both your best friend and your hero, and the person you always strive to make proud.
Most importantly, she teaches you how to love and be loved.
So on this Mother’s Day, I want to thank you, Mom, for being a mother to me.
Photo via We Heart It
