I kept mulling in my head how to adequately pay tribute to my mom and realized there was no adequate way and this will have to do. This beautiful woman, almost too young looking to be the mom of all these kids, is a hero.

She's brilliant, in every sense of the word. She graduated high school at 15, college at 19 and by the time she got married and had my brother, she had a fluorishing career with a sharp trajectory upward.

She does not get rattled. She handles every situation with grace and makes it look easy. She was an only child but figured out how to raise 9 kids and stay sane!

She has a knack for making people feel at ease and she does that by truly, honestly believing that people are good, and capable of the most amazing feats we can dream of. She is one of those rare humans that believes the only thing wrong with some people is that they need someone to believe in them, to tell them they can do better, and if they get that, they will. The striking thing about her is that she's usually right. If she gets her hands on a lost soul, they are no longer lost.

She is fearless. She is tenacious and capable and feisty and she always taught me that the one way to face a fear is to walk right into it. I owe to her the fact that I ever accomplished anything because she doesn't believe for a second there's anything you can't do.

And she's hilarious...and that helps when the world just seems like too much.

I know God made all kinds of moms out there, each one perfect for her children, and I know that all moms can tie for the best mom ever...but I'm grateful that God picked mine for me. I love you, Mom!