On mother's day... Will you forgive me mama?

I messed up. Big time. And on mother's day no less.
First I failed to get my mom flowers, which is the only gift mama accepts from us and truly loves. And as if that's not enough, I was a cranky daughter who instead of kissing and hugging her mom goodnight, chose to storm to the PC room and snap out something stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. Why can't I stop being stupid?

But that's the great thing about mommies. See, if this happened with someone else, I'd worry they might love me just a little less. That my continuous stupidity and childishness would eventually wear them thin. But moms are there to let us know we'll always be loved, no matter what. Even if the whole world turns a cold shoulder on us, and even if we continue to act stupid stupid stupid, they'll love us just the same.

I love you mama. I may not say this often enough to you, but I think you are the most amazing mom anyone can ever wish to have. And I mean this with every tiny bit of my heart. When I talk to people, half my stories involve you (the other half are about Dalia). You may not realise it, but your voice is constantly in my head. Urging me to do the right thing and tut-tut-ing me when I don't. If it wasn't for your constant guidance, support and unconditional love, I wouldn't last a day. I truly wouldn't.

My words have been my strength, but today they'll no doubt fail me. But you've always told us "it's the thought that counts". I hope you still believe that:)

Throughout my 23 years of being your daughter, here's some of the things I'm thankful you taught me:

1. You taught me that "but every one's doing it" is the worst excuse in the whole world.
2. You've taught me to be punctual. Down to the exact second.
3. You've taught me the joy of being an early bird.
4. You've introduced me to the creative art of "making a dish out of all the things I want to get rid of in my fridge".
5. You've taught me to have an inquisitive mind and always have one more question.
6. You've taught me to plan ahead and have a clear goal.
7. You've taught me to keep trying. Again, and again.
8. You remind me to be thankful for the blessings I have.
9. You remind me of others' misfortunes when I complain about mine.
10. You taught me to be generous.
11. You taught us to love each other unconditionally.
12. You told me to give it my best shot, and feel good about myself no matter what the outcome.
13. You taught me to use my head, then my heart (I still kinda suck at that one though, through no fault of yours.)
14. You've taught me about sacrifice just by being yourself and doing what you do.
15. You've taught me not to bail out on my responsibilities. Even when they're unpleasant.
16. You've taught me to be kind to all animals and be on first name basis with the neighborhood stray cats.
17. You've taught me the joy of snuggling on the couch to watch a documentary about a scientist who spent his entire life studying the behavior of cockroaches.
18. You taught me how we're never too old to act silly and have a good laugh about it.
19. You've taught me that we can never outgrow a game of "snakes and ladders".
20. You've taught me to look up at the sky and notice the birds.
21. You've let me experience the joy of having a "family day".
22. You've taught me how to go up to McDonald's and ask for "a kid's meal for my mom please" and keep a straight face.
23. You've let me discover how cute the toys they include along with the meal are.
24. Then you allowed me to play with them :D
25. You're the reason I cringe at the mention of high heels and makeup.
26. You encourage me to be natural, spontaneous and uninhibited (up to a certain limit:P).
27. You taught me funny lines from old egyptian movies and songs.
28. Then texted them to me when I was away in college, resulting in me bursting into fits of laughter during lectures. Oh and getting kicked out.
29. You've taught me how to be happy for others' blessings.
30. You've instilled the seeds of faith into my soul and let them thrive.

But most importantly... You've taught me that it's okay to make a mistake. And taught me how to reflect back on things, and be brave enough to admit it. To say I'm sorry.

I'm sorry mama.