Remember mom – thank her for who you’ve become

Find your most cherished memory of your mother. Hold it. Feel it. Remember it. Forever.

Remember all those times when you felt alone — whether it was walking up to what seemed like massive doors on your first day of school or crying over your first heartbreak. Who was there? Mom.

Who was there when you cut your knee skateboarding? Or when you had no groceries in first-year university? Who always remembered to buy your childhood friend a birthday gift for their weekend party? Moms don’t forget these things.

These may seem like the things that moms just do, but for many of us, these are the acts that shape us. These loving gestures do more than give us the confidence to face the world; they define who we are and who we will become. And those of us lucky enough to still have our moms around should thank them for who we’ve become.

Moms make our worlds go around. This Mother’s Day, we should all remember; remember all the things your mom does that you don’t even realize she’s doing — from the piles of laundry that miraculously clean and fold themselves to the fresh, home cooked meals that magically show up on the table at supper time, every night.

Mom’s don’t stop.

For me, I remember how my mom, Susan, would work a 10-hour shift as a paralegal at a law firm and then go work at bingo night for hours, so she could get a subsidy for my hockey registration. I remember our special Friday nights with “The X-Files”, Hawaiian pizza and Pepsi. Her college care packages were the perfect remedy for stressful cram sessions. And I’ll never forget the time she bravely negotiated with a burglar to leave our home after he broke in during the night. She always made me feel safe. But her influence goes further than just my protector. My mom showed me not only how to be a man, but how to be a human — how to love. My mom was the one who taught me that it’s sometimes okay not to be okay and that crying is important. Those closest to me will agree that my mom is a good crying teacher. I’m a mama’s boy at heart.

As we get set to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend with our own amazing moms, let’s raise a glass to all the amazing Hills matriarchs that are giving us hope by raising their kids with compassion, empathy and integrity.

If your mom is still with us, call her, tell her you love her and continue to make more memories that you can cherish forever. If she’s not here, remember.

Happy Mother’s Day.