One of the most powerful lessons I learned from my mother was to have faith in God’s plan. She truly placed strong beliefs in the Catholic religion within our family. From a young age, I remember the beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother that held a special place in our backyard flower garden. We carried on a tradition of a statue of the Blessed Mother as a shrine-like setting in the flower garden. To this day, I can feel her loving presence watching over me. Due to my mom’s religious beliefs, I too made the decision to raise and pass down my Catholic faith to my children. I believe no matter what spiritual beliefs a person has, that the gifts of faith, hope, and love continue to be at the core of a meaningful life. I appreciate the caring efforts that my mom placed throughout my life to nurture my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. – Debbie Fadel

My mom taught me to live my life with an open, non-judgmental mindset and to accept everybody for who they are. Parental relationships can struggle at a younger age but can blossom in adulthood with the right nurturing and care. I’m glad I was able to see this as an adult, and I now cherish every moment I have with my mom. – Katy Defazio

My mother taught me resilience and strength. She was both parents and still is for me. We may not always see eye to eye but she’s one of my biggest inspirations to get up another day. – Hunter Wolfgang

My mom always taught us to pay our dues. Hard work pays off. Sometimes it can just take time. A quote that goes along well with these words is “the cream always rises to the top.” – Anne Dobmeier

My mom passed during the blizzard we had two winters ago. We weren’t on good terms most of my life, and just got back into speaking terms because I had a baby of my own. It taught me to never give up on having a great relationship with my own child and to never lose sight of giving them a better life than what I had. – Kai Reuther

My mother showed me the power of a kind heart and how strong a woman can be. I grew up watching her be the “breadwinner” of the household while still showing up as “mom”. Through thick and thin I noticed how much love she held for others, and how this love and her outgoing personality would light up all who were around her. When I was young, I found it so fascinating to watch her be a social butterfly anywhere we went - from the grocery store to some random far-out place where it seemed there’d be no possible way she could know someone. Time and time again, I’d see people excitedly stop and chat with her, sometimes it would even be people she had helped take care of as an RN in the hospital. It amazes me how much she has overcome in her own life and how she was still able to show up for so many people, in so many different ways. She has shown me what courage looks like, even when there is great uncertainty. – Selena Stucke

I lost my dad at 11 years old in 2006, so my mom had to play both parents. My mom is a warrior and quite literally my best friend. I’ve learned what it takes to be strong and having bad days is ok. She’s been the reason I keep strong on days I want to quit. She is my voice of reason. – Molly Gavin

My mom was raised without a mother. When I was born, she was scared because she was afraid to make any mistakes. Her fear motivated her. She taught me several things throughout the years. One thing that stuck out to me was her courage to stand up against any obstacle and defeat any painful or traumatic experiences that life throws at us our way. – Sara Loft