Poem for my mother (English)

Ever since my first breath,

You received the first smile of love.

Along with my birth came wisdom

love, and the strength that is granted only to mothers

the moment the Doctor said

"Congratulations, you're a mother"

It is thanks to you that I learned the meaning of true love

I learned about love's power

even if it just stems from a simple flower.

The moment my tiny eyes opened and saw you for the first time,

without knowing it, I saw the closest thing to the love of God,

The love of a Mother.

When I cried, laughed or said my first words

You were there to console me, laughed with me

and you were there anxious to listen to my voice for the first time.

Whenever I'd fall and hurt myself,

You were there to remind me to be strong and that life gives harder hits

When it seemed that our family would break apart,

You gave us the strength to overcome that dark chapter.

When we lost our twin siblings,

God used you and brought us our little brother:

A young man full of wisdom and love that far surpasses any understanding.

When I was heartbroken due to unrequited love, 

You were there to show me that it just wasn't my time yet.

When we all thought our father would no longer be in this world,

You should us the true meaning of faith in the Lord.

It was your example that taught us to the phrase to all our problems:

"Even with all that, God is still faithful and I will praise my God!"

from the first verses you taught me,

to the first tortilla you taught me to make.

You did all that with all the patience and love in the world.

Before anyone knew me as the "good person" that they all admire

before anyone said I was "wise beyond my years"

before anyone believed I had potential for great things 

certainly before I won any debate awards

It was you who instilled the essence of a great man that is now a part of me.

Heeding your advice always has saved me from grave mistakes

without your prayers, I probably wouldn't be alive today.

because without your faith, I would probably never have been able to even speak!

without the love you gave to us, we wouldn't love our neighbor as we love ourselves

without your personal testimony, we wouldn't even want to serve God with all our hearts!

Mom, even if I learned a thousand languages

I would still fall short in thanking you

but I will humbly give it a try

because although my words would not even come close

you always told me to give it a try.

Thank you, Gracias, Grazie, Merci, Danke, Arigatou Gozaimasu, Xie, Xie, Obrigado, and all the other

ways to say thank you that I can't begin to speak of.

Mother, you are the most wonderful mother in the universe.

I loved you from the first moment I was in your arms

and even though people may take you for granted

you always press on, no matter the situation

people wonder how you do it,

but, we know the secret:

"Eres mujer y pedazo de otra."

Note: The phrase "Eres mujer y pedazo de otra" is a phrase my mother uses to express that although she is small (4'11/80 lbs) she has the strength of a full sized woman and half of another!