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When I was about twelve years old, I had a Tigger diary. It was orange; so orange that when I put it under my pillow, I felt as though I was lying under a tree full of tangerines. This diary was the best friend I never had; it was where I told all my secrets, cheesy jokes, and deepest fears. At this age, I was quite introverted and my mother would always try and find out what was going on in my life, but only Tigger was allowed to know everything. Once, my mother made me angry and consequently I wrote about how much I couldn’t stand her on the wall in my room behind my coat. One day, she read my hurtful words written in pencil and she didn’t forget them for a very long time. Why I’m telling this story is because growing up, I didn’t appreciate my mother as much as I do now. I thought she was on a vendetta to suck all of the enjoyment out of my life. I thought God put us in this world together so she could nag me about all of the annoying things that teenagers could care less about. Now, I know that God put her on this earth with me to give me the closest thing I will ever experience to true, unmerited love. I went from hating to talk to her about boys to now telling her about every single one I meet. I went from saying hello mother, to ‘hey girl, how far’! My mother has truly evolved into one of my most cherished friends over the years and the older I get, the more I see her as my guardian angel. Based on my experiences, here are 5 reasons why you should be grateful for your mother:

She loves you: Everybody in this world will love you because of what you can do for them, but your mother will always love you solely because you are the fruit of her womb.
She will always want the best for you: Sadly, we live in a world full of people with bad intentions, but your mother will never be one of those people. She won’t always give you the perfect advice, but her advice will always be in your best interest.
She knows how to make you laugh during the worst times: My mom is the funniest person I know. She says the most bizarre things, especially when I am in the middle of a crisis. She may not get all my jokes but she knows the most embarrassing and funniest things about me, therefore can always crack a joke or two that we can both relate with.
She cared for you until you could care for yourself: Every person has at least once heard their mother say ‘I looked after you and changed your diapers’ and rolled their eyes while she said it. Until you have your own child, you may never understand what this means, but after changing a few nieces and nephews’ diapers, I get it! Although none of us ever asked to be here, it is an act of courage, selflessness and love to raise a child so I salute all mothers who have done so!
You will never have another one: I have so many friends whose mothers have passed away and the pain I see them experience daily is surreal. There are no do-overs when it comes to mothers. You get one and that’s it. She may be annoying, impatient, unaffectionate, mean, sweet, tall, fat, round, a horrible cook and many other things but she is yours!

Celebrate your mother today. Happy Mother’s Day!