The best gift for her:

a word of gratitude, a photo to remember and a “I love you” as a testimony of the time that you shared.

To Sherry.

There is one overriding trait that my mom has:  she’s a total people person!! I have yet to see her not connect with someone.  She has the ability to speak with anyone from any walk of life, crossing all social, cultural, and class lines. And she does that because she cares so deeply for others. This is what makes her so special as a mom! She cares so deeply and is filled with compassion towards her kids and towards others. Col. 3:12 says:  “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Mom has taught me more about caring and showing compassion than anyone else I know. God has gifted her with a compassion that has touched so many lives!  Thanks, Mom, for touching my life so profoundly with this God given trait! Happy Mother’s Day!! With all my love,

Tim

To Maria Isabel.

Happy Mother’s Day Mami! There are not enough words to describe what you mean to me and to those who love you! Your positivity and the achiever in you have always inspired me to work hard and to know that there will always be light at the end of the tunnel! Thank you for raising my sister and I to be who we are today! Thank you for always making sure we are loved and taken care of!

You have such a beautiful heart that loves people so passionately! It’s an honor and a privilege to call you my mother! ❤️ I hope and pray that this day is filled with lots of joy and encouragement! You deserve so much more than what this world has to offer! I know God will overwhelm you with His love today! Thank you for all that you do! You are a gem and a light everywhere you go! No matter the distance, our love for you will always be strong! Te queremos muchísimo!

Tus gemelitas, Tati y Juli.

To Sonia.

Dear mom,

Year after year I realize that there isn’t anyone in this world that can take your place in my life. I love you more than ever and I am extremely thankful and appreciative of all that you have done for me, do for me, and will do in the future. Thank you for teaching me how to love, how to laugh, how to trust in God daily, and for reminding me that although I am your son, I am also a child of God. 

Mom, you believed in me and showed me that nothing is impossible. Things may seem and turn out differently than expected, but they are not impossible. Thank you for your hugs, your jokes, our conversations, and for simply always being there and willing to listen and encourage me. It is was in that I also learned, via your example, of how to talk to others and how to always try to be a light in their lives! You are a great teacher, mom. 

Christopher Hylton

P.S. Thanks for always playing Monopoly with me and for our Friday tradition of watching karate movies while eating American Chinese food. I love you mom!

To Ada.

I want to honor my mother, Ada, as somebody who loves everything that grows and everything that is not arid. Her newfound passion for caring for flowers shows that she is a compassionate person and that she cares about those around her helping them to grow and thrive. She can be supportive of anyone in need and she is loyal at all times. 

Since I was little, one of the flowers that my mother has always liked is the Poinsettia. This flower is also connected to our relationship, since I was born the day after Christmas. The Poinsettia makes me think of my mother because the red color represents her sacrifice for me. She has dedicated her entire life to caring for my siblings and me (and many others) and has never complained for not having time for herself or for the many things she has allowed to wither in her own life for others to flourish. Green color also makes me think about the most important thing that my mother has transmitted to us, which is Jesus, the only hope there is, the One who gave his life on a cross so that we can enjoy eternal life in his Garden.

Ruth

To Pepita.

Dear mother: 

This is a greeting full of memories: a photo of the balcony in Olivillas, you, and your three children and three chicks and the card that we wrote to you, when we were more or less that age and that dad dictated to us. Rosana is not in the picture, she would be born later, but today we all want to wish you a happy mother’s day: your three sons and your daughter, your three grandsons and your three granddaughters, your two great-granddaughters and the great-grandson who is on the way. We cannot kiss you on this strange mother's day, but we can send you all our love for being the root of an already very leafy tree. 

I love you,

Carlos

To Marisol.

This photo was taken five years ago, but I remember that kiss as if it were today. She has given me many kisses, but that one was a little special. It took 75 years to enjoy it, but that day, Marisol, my mother, a History and Art lover, traveled with me to Rome to fulfill one of the dreams of her life.  

It summarizes well an incontestable reality. A kiss from her has no possible correspondence. I can give her hundreds, billions, and it is never enough ... Celebrating Mother's Day somehow sublimates the most unwavering, unconditional and strongest feeling possible. Nothing can overcome - now I know - a mother's love for her children.

Mom: I hope many dreams, many trips and many more kisses will be waiting for us along the way.

Ramón