There’s a song by the Band Perry called, “If the World Had a Mother Like Mine,” and every single time I hear it, I find myself in a puddle of tears. My mother is simply the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I could list accolades for pages and pages. Anytime I had to write about who my hero was during my years in school, it was always my mother. I truly believe that the world can learn so much from them.

I recently read a book called The Eternal Mark of a Mom (by Linda Weber) and it really resonated with me. As mothers, the work we do is impactful and important, and that work will leave a mark on the next generation forever. Being a mother is also a very tough job. It seems with every passing year, there is some new phase to navigate with our children, and there’s no rule book for us to follow. And if we’re being honest, we are all just doing the very best we can in hopes that we get it right most of the time. If we lived in a perfect world, we could protect our kids from being hurt and disappointed, we’d always know the right thing to say when they are fearful or nervous, and we’d never fight.

Mother’s Day is a day set aside for us to celebrate mom, or any other woman who has been a mother figure in our lives. When we sit down and think about those women, there are probably countless lessons they’ve taught us and many things we probably catch ourselves doing or saying that we learned from these amazing women. I am grateful for the lessons and advice my mother shared with me, and I’m blessed that she’s still here with me, giving advice or a listening ear when I need it.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I hope you will reflect and share with the women who helped shape you just how grateful you are. I also love the idea of giving clutter-free gifts that would allow those special women to have some pampering or an experience you can share with them. Here are some great ideas for that special lady in your life:

If you’re lucky enough to still have your mom, we hope you celebrate Mother’s Day with her in a big way this year.