7 Things I love about my mother

OK, I know this list is longer than 7 items, but hey, she's my mother, so why stop at 7?

I love my mother because....

1) She will happily discuss her faults and flaws with her children because she says she wants us to learn from them.

2) Even when I haven't called her for five weeks in a row, she doesn't complain; all she says is how happy she is to hear from me.

3) No matter what the occasion, she is always there with her camera, urging everyone to get together for a group photo. So thanks to her, our moments together are always captured and preserved forever.

4) When I was a little girl, she sat and read story after story to us, complete with different voices for different characters, long after I could read on my own.

5) She does the same thing now with my kids.

6) She has an awesome sense of direction. She never gets lost, and is constantly figuring out new traffic-free routes from point A to B. I'm lucky to have inherited that sense of direction from her.

7) I also inherited her nice ankles.

8) She has a deep, abiding, unswerving faith in God. Her serenity and trust in His Will, even in times of adversity, astounds me.

9) We make great shopping partners; she cannot resist a good bargain, just like me.

10) She is honest; if something I try on doesn't flatter me, she will say so -- gently but honestly.

11) But when she thinks I look good in something, she'll urge me to buy one in every color.

12) And she will probably buy the first three colors for me.

13) All my life she has insisted that she prefers her cookies burnt and her toast blackened.

14) She always encouraged her children to pursue every opportunity, no matter how far, even though she knew it meant she would see us only once or twice a year.

15) Family comes first to her, no matter what.

She is a loving wife, a caring mother, a devoted daughter, a selfless person and a true lady. For all that and more, I will always love her. Happy Mothers Day, to my Mommy and to all the mothers out there!