My mom bakes the best poundcake. It is the smell of home.

My mom has the most infectious laugh. People recognize her from aisles away in the supermarket. As a child, I used her laugh as a location device at crowded events.

My mom is incredibly kind, not just to her family, but to everybody. Her patients from her four-decade nursing career still call her and send her notes. Her friends know they can count on her, and they do: for guidance, for support, for hospital visits and rides to the doctor and pet sitting. She once drove 150 miles at midnight on New Year’s to comfort my broken heart (and helped me choose a kitten the next day to complete the healing process).

My mom is so much fun. Within days of her moving to a new community, she had made friends with all of the neighbors and been recruited to the Social Committee. She is the life of every party.

My mom sings so beautifully, with the most joyous, expressive face. She welcomed my husband into our family by singing at our wedding. It is my most cherished memory of that day.

I learned so much from my mom. Most of it revolves around generosity, love, and keeping an open-mind. I still learn from her, all the time.