I consciously look forward to opening my social media on Mother’s Day. There’s something beautiful about seeing so many different people openly, tenderly sharing some of their deepest feelings in tribute to their moms.

I love going to church on Mother’s Day because it means that during the second hour I get to go to the adult women’s class, called Relief Society. I’ve always felt I belonged in Relief Society, from the time I was a young girl to the first Sunday I walked through the door after graduating high school. I love women, and being surrounded by their collective wisdom feels like being home.

That special energy is amplified x10 on Mother’s Day as we gather to honor each other, share insights, and just enjoy being together. I’ve always believed that Mother’s Day is a day to honor all women—regardless of whether they’ve had the opportunity to bear and raise children—who have led and loved those around them. As I sat surrounded by powerful women who mothered me throughout my life, that felt truer than ever.

It’s really meaningful for me to reflect about the person my mom is on Mother’s Day. But also, in a very real way, if I try to put into words or summarize what she truly means to me, my heart opens up, or bottoms out, or something, and I get extremely emotional and actually can’t function. Hehe. It’s much easier for my brain to digest her divinity and impact in small pieces.

Tonight, all her kids and sons in-law went around and shared a few things that they loved about her. I thought of a few things during that time I think make my mom special which I wanted to share (along with some pictures of her and I from my wedding that also make me extremely! emotional! So I’m just going to put them here and run away before I turn into a puddle).

I get my sense of humor from my Mom. I know this is true because NO ONE laughs as hard or as consistently at my jokes as she does. Objectively, I know that I’m not really a “funny” person by standard definition. But she has a love of finding humor in everyday circumstances, which I inherited. Her witty personality gives every day the capacity to be special.

My mom sees the world with such wonder. She is so interested in the details of how things work and sees beauty all around her. Though she’s been through extremely difficult circumstances in her life, she’s not a bitter or cynical person – she still brings a sense of curiosity and kindness to every room she enters. People feel renewed when she is around.

I like to think of myself as my mom’s mini-me. Our brains just operate in the same way, and though we may not look a lot alike at first glance, I actually have a lot of her facial features, too. Though being similar to your mom isn’t an essential ingredient for a successful / fulfilling mother-daughter relationship, I feel at peace when we’re together because I know she really understands me.

My mom is extremely conviction-driven. She exercises integrity in everything she does and isn’t shy about living by the principles she believes in. As a young girl, I learned by example and by instruction how important it is to treat other people with kindness and respect, to choose my words carefully, to be a good steward over the things I’d been given, to honor my elders, to take care of the earth, to value education and knowledge, and to stand up for what is right. If you know me or my siblings, you also know that we are extremely strong willed and very passionate about the things we believe in. That’s because of her!

My mom is a lady of taste. I’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s country music this week and remembered that she was the one who introduced my dad, and then my Uncle Junior, to country music back in the day (you’re welcome, Counting Stars fans!). I was raised on the good stuff thanks to her discerning eyes and ears.

I love the song “Like Him” by Tyler the Creator. It hits home because I like to think about how pieces of my dad have organically manifested themselves in me, and in each one of my siblings. It’s fairly easy and natural to make those connections since his passing created a before and an after in my life, allowing me to trace some of the impact he’s made.

But I’ve also been thinking lately about how my mom has shaped my life, and how pieces of her are also a part of me, though I’m not aware of them. I think that’s beautiful, and I also know it’s something to be thankful for – that my mom has made such a powerful impact on my life that I can’t even begin to untangle where she begins and I end. It’s an honor to be a part of her legacy.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom!