Well, I always heard other people say "I couldn't do without so-and-so in my life--she changed me so much and made me the person that I am today!" I always scoffed and thought, "pish posh, my own mother's good enough for that." Besides, I'm a product of my culture--I can make my own way in the world without anybody's help or advice.

But I look back this Mother's Day and realize how much I have changed in past years; I have faced big decisions that I couldn't make on my own, I have married when I thought I would be single forever, I have lost friends that I thought I would keep and gained others back that I thought I had lost. And I've come to realize that, corny as it sounds, I couldn't do without the mentors in my life.

Thank you Mom, for everything.
Thank you Mom M, for accepting me into your family and treating me like a daughter.
Thank you Beth, for helping me make one of the biggest decisions of my life (I'm so glad I didn't graduate!)
Thank you Jewel, for your example of grace and truth in marriage.
Thank you Ruth, for your wisdom, firmness, and kindness.
Thank you to the women of my church, for modelling maturity, submission, and the awsome calling of being a woman.

There, I've said it. I couldn't do it on my own.