Best Gift of All

I looked at many gifts for my Mom.

A kindle paperweight, a fancy ring, a new sewing machine.

All items she can now buy herself, easily.

Although, nothing in her life was ever easy, including how she became financially stable.

A woman who rarely cared about presents even when she had nothing.

As a foster kid, She never missed a day of school, or broke rules, or even experimented as other kids did.

A woman who often made the best of what she had even when resources were sparse.

She sewed most of our clothes, dried our tears and attended all the PTA meetings. She signed me up for a community class so I could do gymnastics. She became a coach so my sister and I could enjoy baseball.

A woman who when she had more financial means, she never became prideful, rather quietly giving and without asking for credit.

She worked extra hours to provide the best learning possible for her 35 students who still today recognize her with smiles. She came home, still managing to not only be present for our needs, but she made sure my sixth grade teacher was better than my fifth.

A woman who upon retirement, never stopped doing and giving and being our best friends.

She drove my best friend to his therapy and doctor appointments on a regular basis. Housed a homeless friend for months and always lent a listening ear.

No wonder all my friends wish she was their Mom, too.

A woman who could hire a cleaner or a shopper, but who'd rather do it herself.

She lets us overstay in her house, shop upstairs if we need expensive food like steak, and even run errands for us when we're all too tired from work.

A woman who my husband calls 'Mom.' with the utmost fondness. The runaway kid now embracing the other runaway. Sharing a past where nowhere was safe.

The sweet, genuine person who radiated love by merely being around us.

A woman who never stops thinking of others. But who everyone is often thinking of her, including the heavens above.

Within an hour of her stroke, 15 of us had left work, school, or everything to sit in that waiting room as our hearts froze and our silent prayers raised above. Even the few of us who don't believe.

No side effects. Full-recovery in days.

So what do I get the woman who has everything.

The best gift.

I can't. Nothing would suffice.

Nothing could possibly repay what she has done for me and countless others. Selflessly. Purely. Compassionately.

Except, knowing the person my Mother is. My best friend, my therapist, my mother, my support, my example, my role model, my idol.

The best gift I could give her are the words, "I love you and I thank you' for teaching me how to love myself and others.

To teach me the only gifts that matters

are the ones given with the rarest and purest form of love.