Gifts My Mother Gave to Me

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I love my mom. If that old notion is true that a girl's mom is her best friend, then my mom is definitely mine. For my entire life, my mom has always put us kids first, making sure that we were always loved and provided for. While my dad is awesome, and I love him to death, there is just something special about a girl's relationship with her mother. There are so many "girl moments" I can recall having with my mom while growing up. I can recall a ton of funny moments when we could not stop laughing and the difficult moments too when all I wanted to do was be held and cry on her shoulder. I know I am lucky when I can truly say that my mom has ALWAYS been there for this Conservative Girl with a Voice.

I definitely know there were times when my mom probably wanted to pull all of her hair out over the antics of my sister, brother and me, but she never quit believing in us. She has always taught me to dream big and set high goals for myself. I can still remember the little things she did like her helping to run the PTA, always being there to take me and pick me up from school and being the team mom for my softball teams. I will always remember the countless times my friends would comment on how "cool" my mom was and how much fun they had whenever they came over to my house. My mom has always been the perfect hostess, and she has taught me the importance of family, charity and putting others first. She has been there through think and thin- from consoling me in middle school over my "boy troubles" to taking me in her arms and telling me how proud she was of me even after I screwed up that pesky puzzle during my appearance on Wheel of Fortune last year. I am so blessed and thankful God gave me a mom who has never given up on me even during the times when I wanted to give up on myself.

I had a great childhood, full of so many ups, and mom made that possible. My mom is the individual who is responsible for the personal relationship I have with Jesus Christ. I will never forget sitting on the swing set- mom was on the swing beside me- when I was about five years old and accepting Jesus into my heart. I will forever be thankful to her and dad for bringing my brother, sister and I up in a loving, Christian home. My mom has taught me so much, and I cannot wait to have kids, so I can teach them the same valuable, life-long lessons she has taught me. One of the best lessons my mom has taught me is to always believe in myself and know that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to- no matter how big the goal. This whole "world is my oyster" philosophy sticks with me to this day. And with that, I will forever be grateful that I have a mom who has sacrificed so much for me. And for that I say, "Thanks mom! I LOVE YOU!!!"

(Follow me on Twitter @RachelleFriberg.)