A television commercial asks, Who first believed in you? Many folks may instinctively answer, by simply saying, Mom.

She was the first one there for most of us. There was a time in most of our lives when Mom was our everything.

She made peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for our lunches. She cared for our scraped knees. She readied our clothes. She cleaned up after us.

More importantly, though, Mom was the one who often truly first believed in us.

When all that we would be or would become was the often childlike dreams and hopes of a child talking, Mom was often the one listening with encouraging words.

When those childhood dreams hit real-world obstacles, Mom was often the one to soothe our hurts, encourage us not to give up, and push us to try again.

When others gave up on us, or abandoned us, or discouraged us, Mom was often the one who remained in our corner, who stayed with us, who supported us.

For so many of us, it was a woman called Mom who was the first to believe in us. Mom was usually the one, too, who kept believing in us.

It was Mom who helped us believe in ourselves.

Today is Mother’s Day. It is a day set aside to thank Mom for all that she has done for us through the years.

It is a day to thank the person who believed in us from our earliest days and who kept us and our dreams alive through the many days that followed.

Happy Mother’s Day.