is there a quota on how much you can brag about your mother? i didn’t think so. if there was, i would have surely met it by now.

but since you just assured me that there isn’t, i’ll continue.

i know mother’s day isn’t for like four months, and my mom’s birthday is about two weeks after that but i don’t really think you need a specific occasion to tell someone how much you appreciate them. in fact, i think you should tell all of your loved ones how much you appreciate them every day. or at least every other? i cannot tell you how powerful a tool that is -to express to someone how much their presence in your life matters. it is a gift that we should not waste.

but i’m climbing off of my soapbox because i think i could probably write a post just on that whole telling people how much you care about them thing (and maybe i will). so back to mom.

i’m not sure if you’ve met my mom. if you have, then, well, lucky you. if you haven’t, well, perhaps that can be arranged (i suggest you bring gifts). either way, you can still appreciate her even if you’ve never had the pleasure of making her acquaintance.

my mother is my best friend. and the older i get, the more precious a thing i understand this to be.

she is without a doubt the most selfless and giving person i know. she is supportive and encouraging and quite possibly the best bargain shopper that ever was (i mean, how do you think i got so savvy?). she is ridiculously gullible (in the most endearing of ways) and has more than once earned herself the title of sassy pants of the year (again, where do you think i got it from?). she’s basically the best and there really aren’t enough words in the english language to accurately describe her. there aren’t even enough words in shawna-ese (which is mostly just abbreviations) to quantify her qualities, so you know, that’s saying a lot.

due to an evening meeting, i didn’t have to go into work until 10 a.m. on tuesday. while you may assume that i would have used the extra time at home to snag a few extra zzz’s, i would tell you that you obviously don’t know me very well because i’m pretty sure that my body doesn’t know how to sleep in past 7:30 a.m. –on a good day. so instead, i chose to spend my additional morning-time work-free hours at my parents’ house. mom and i sipped coffee and chatted about our day. she oversaw the creation of my “daily outfit” post and then we facebook-stalked a few people. i mean, the last part was hypothetical. sort of.

and while there was nothing specifically extraordinary about our time together, i cherished it all the same. any day that begins with my best friend is a morning well spent.

ever since i can remember, i’ve always wanted three boys when i finally start a family of my own (i’ve never really been keen on raising up a mini-me, i know how much work i was!). but when i think about the unique bond shared between a mother and her daughter like the one i share with my own mom, suddenly all of the teenage hormones and boy drama seem worth it.

and maybe your mom isn’t your best friend (that’s okay, btw). maybe this type of intangible, un-quantifiable bond exists between you and someone else -an aunt, a cousin, a mentor, a college sorority sister, a sister sister. whatever the capacity, my advice is the same: thank God for it. seriously. those types of friendships are hard to come by. i’ve been blessed enough to find this type of friendship with someone who just also happens to share my dna.

so call your mom today. tell her that you love her and that you appreciate her. thank her for putting up with you during the ages 14-17 and during the terrible two’s, as well. thank her for always being in your corner and for insisting on getting you the just-out-of-price-range homecoming dress because in it, you felt like the most beautiful girl in the world (okay, maybe that doesn’t really apply to you, gents). thank her for drying your tears and for sharing in belly laughs and for empathizing with every emotion in between.

and if it’s not your mom, call whoever you consider to be your very best friend. tell them all of the reasons why you appreciate them. because life is short and people should know how much you care about them.

so today, i’m telling my mom (hi mom, i’m sorry, the tissues are in the bathroom) how much she means to me. and when i forget to show it, when i forget to express it, and most definitely when just i’m being a big old brat, she can come here and be reminded of this.

RIP summer tan | june 2006.

being silly at the titanic exhibit | march 2012.