Today is Mother’s Day. Among the flowers, the hugs, the brunches and everything else we love about mothers everywhere are the lessons. When no one else would support us, our moms have. When no one else would tell us the cold, hard truth, our moms have. And we we just needed a hug, a moms were there.

If you read this blog regularly, you may know that I will occasionally mention my parents, but there is never a specific mention of them by name or with photos. That’s because the don’t “do” the internet. Sure, they check email and will visit a website every once in a while, but that’s it. Limited internet and by any terms…no social media.

That no social media thing has been an adjustment for me over the years, but I’ve learned to accept it. And FOMO is especially real this time of year when there’s all kinds of “post a photo of your mother here” challenges all over the internet. Alas, I respect her wishes (some years  I have not and I had hell to pay) so no photos, no social media, nothing of the sort.

This year I decided to do something different. 

Even though you can’t see her her latest profile picture, like a status, or know her government name, I can still tell you about the impact she’s had on my life. From A to Z, here are 26 things I’ve learned from “M.”

A – Always do your best.

B – Leave a place better than you found it.

C – Clean up after yourself. If you need to, clean up after someone else. Everything needs to be clean.

D – Don’t give up.

E – Expect the best.

F – Have faith the size of a mustard seed.

G  – Unexpected gifts are the best gifts. Give freely and generously.

H – Honesty always wins.

I – Be independent.

J – No one can deny the joy in your heart

K – Kindness is very simple. Practice it.

L – Live the life you know you deserve.

M – Make time to celebrate yourself.

N – Never say never

O – Be optimistic.

P – Pick your battles carefully.

Q – Question it until you understand it.

R – Remember to get an adequate amount of rest.

S – Smile.

T – Try. If it doesn’t work, try again. When that doesn’t work, you guessed, keep trying.

U – Seek first to understand.

V – Venture out in life and explore things you’ve never seen; do things you’ve never done

W – Work hard.

X – Do the extra credit in school. In life, the only thing that sets you apart from the competition is what you can do extra that no one else did.

Y – Yellow roses are the best roses.

Z – Always add zest. To life, to food, to everything you do.

What are some things you’ve learned from your mother? How are you celebrating Mother’s Day this year?