“Who is the most influential person in the world?”  I remember just a few months ago, Time magazine had taken up the challenge by assembling the ultimate list of significant individuals from around the world.  On it, multiple activists such as Malala or many billionaires like Bill Gates were included and given a page summarizing how they shaped today’s society.  So as I read it over, there was no surprise. After all, I hear them on the news and see them on television.  With accomplishments on such a global scale, their legacy will be remembered throughout history.  Some even say that they are the pinnacle of the human race.  However, there has been one group that has had more impact on the world than any other since the beginning of time: our mothers.

With each emerging billionaire CEO or selfless activist, who raised them with love and care?  Who supported them during the natural disasters of life?  Who instilled in them, the values of giving, friendship, and people?  Imagine the world without mothers.  Earth would be a cold, desolate place.  And it’s not just the fact that the human race wouldn’t be able to reproduce.  We wouldn’t have known kindness, forgiveness, or empathy.  At the core of each individual, mothers have taught us the warmth of love with unimaginable patience.  Throughout every stage of our lives, they have travelled behind to catch us when we’re falling and sprinted ahead to pull us beyond our own limits.  Even as we live in the rough world that enjoys throwing flower pots and glass shards, we remember to find comfort in friends and family.

Mother’s Day is the time when people across the world appreciate their mom’s for their mind-blowing patience, their ability to be strict yet loving, and their indescribable accomplishments of raising us.

To my own mother, I thank you for the long nights where we talked the stress away.  I thank you for talking sense before pushing me to do things.  I thank you for being lenient and understanding during stressful times but also, bringing fourth discipline and necessary strictness.  As I work my butt off into the night, I can hear the dishes being washed and the aroma of tomorrow’s school lunch.   Even while I finish my pharmaceutical project, I still think the best medicine known to mankind is a mother’s hug.  I love you with my whole heart.  -Ray