Mimicking Mom: A Life Well-Lived Is the Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift

One of the best gifts we can give our mother is the knowledge that we want a legacy similar to hers.

Mother’s Day is a time to look back, an opportunity to reflect on how caring and supportive our moms have been. As it should be, Mother’s Day is a day for showing appreciation for the countless ways in which mothers have positively impacted our lives. It is the one day of the year when we consciously shower our moms with affection and honor. While we spend time with our mothers in the here and now, our thoughts are often focused on the past as we recall our childhood and all the times our mom was there for us.

For me, however, this year’s Mother’s Day feels different. As the holiday approaches, memories of my beloved mother have me anxiously looking ahead, rather than reflecting on the past. Inspired by all that my mother did for me while growing up, I am increasingly concerned with how I will be remembered by my children. I am overwhelmed by a strong desire to live up to my mother’s example. In short, I want to be to my children everything my mother was to me.

I hope that my children remember me as a caring, loving, and supportive mother and friend to others. I pray that my children think of me in a positive light, even when I had to discipline them and teach them the difficult lessons of life. I wish for my children to someday realize that they have always been the most important thing to me, and that I consider them my greatest achievement. This is how my mother made me feel as a child and beyond, and I so desperately want my kids to feel the same.

Flowers, gift cards, and jewelry can reflect a certain amount of our love and appreciation for Mom. At a time when we all feel pressure to buy the perfect Mother’s Day gift, perhaps our moms would most appreciate knowing that all we want as parents is to be remembered as we remember them. That all we want is to live the type of life they have lived.

This year I feel as though one of the best gifts I could give my mother is the knowledge that I am determined to live a life that leads to a legacy similar to hers. I am confident that my children will be fortunate if I succeed.

Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours!