You're My Number One

Remember the time when you were a kid and you had to write a composition about who your hero was? More than half the time, I wrote about my mother. I can't even recall what reasons my childhood self conceived. Or made up. Perhaps I was lacking inspiration. Or creativity. Or maybe I was just plain lazy. It's easier to write about your mother, whom you've known your whole life, compared to say, Mother Teresa, whom you've only read about and would only write about to impress your teacher.

 But looking back, my words could not have been more true. My mother is the most admirable woman I know. It's not just because she's my mother (although I suppose a whole lot of bias came with this statement). I look up to her, not just as a mother. But as a woman.

What can I say? She's a tough one. She has survived a tough childhood, a rocky marriage, and a stroke to boot. I can't even begin to enumerate all the things she is. I owe her not just my life, but who I am, as a person in my own right.

 Happy Mother's Day, Mama. You're my number 1!