光阴似箭，岁月洗涤我们的阅历和对 人生的那一份感悟，感悟母爱的真谛，感悟世间的真情，感悟一种爱，一种付出和一种回报。
Dear God，
Now that I am no longer young， I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daugh- ters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them.
I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her moreeach day. My mother does not change， but I do. As I grow older and wiser， I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am unable to speak these words， but they flow easily from my pen.
How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself？ For the love， pa- tience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child？ For running after a small child， for understanding a moody teenager， for tolerating a college student who knows everything？ For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes her mother really is？
How does a grown woman thank a mother for continuing to be a mother？ Forbeing ready with advice（when asked）or re- maining silent when it is most appreciat-ed？ For not saying“：
I told you so”， when she could have said these words dozens of times？ For being essentially herself- lov- ing， thoughtful， patient， and forgiving？
I don’t know how， dear God， except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.
A daughter