Some people in this life can make you smile even when they are not around. Any time my Mom pops into my head I can not help but feel my lips curl up and hear myself quietly giggling. She makes the world a special place for me just by being in it.
My mom has taught me more than anyone I know in this whole world. The lessons that I learned through her character and personality deserve to be documented. Here are a few of the thousands out there.
1. Never talk bad about anyone. It is possible to find the good in anyone out there.
Hannah Niebel
Throughout the 21 years of knowing my Mom, I have never once heard her put anyone down, ever. I could even be complaining about her to someone who I felt was specifically out to get me and her response was always the same thing every time. "Hannah, can you try and think of one good thing to say about them?" Sure it was frustrating, but every time she asked me I couldn't help but think about the positives in that person.
2. Do not overthink things. Go with your gut.
Hannah Niebel
We Niebel's are a pretty impulsive bunch, and I would like to say I got that from my Mom. She taught me that my natural instinct is usually what is right.
3. Always be strong and brave.
Hannah Niebel
I can remember crying to my Mom about 10 different times because I was so nervous to walk into a new school and not no where to sit in the cafeteria. "Once someone gets to know you Hannah, they are going to love you. Never tell yourself otherwise." She always encouraged me to walk in there with my chin up, introduce myself to a group of strangers, and most importantly just to be myself. I can remember constantly repeating the words in my head the class before I walked into the cafeteria alone.
4. Unconditional love is the most important thing we can do for anyone.
People are going to wrong you in life. No one is perfect, and some people just have cold hearts. What my Mom has taught me is to never push anyone out that needs love. Regardless of whatever you and that person have been through, being there for someone that you love, especially family, is the most important thing we can do. She has always told me, "you like because and you love despite."
5. Be selfless and always remain humble.
Hannah Niebel
We took a trip to my grandparent's house and I found my Mom's old high school yearbook. After flipping through a few pages I found a picture of her getting crowned prom queen. I then found two other pictures of her winning the superlatives of most beautiful and most popular. When I asked her about it she claimed that she did not even remember and that she was probably just riding on her older sisters coattails. Once she reads this she will probably be annoyed that I even mentioned that because of how humble she is. If that is not something to look up to, then I do not know what is.
6. Dress for comfort, not for style.
Hannah Niebel
Enough said.
7. You can never volunteer too much in life.
Hannah Niebel
I have never met someone in my entire 21 years of existence that has volunteered more than my mom. The lady loves it. The lesson that she taught me through so much volunteering is that good deeds do sometimes go unnoticed. Honestly, there is absolutely no crime in that whatsoever. If anything it betters you and makes you become more humble as a person and teaches you that it is not necessary to be rewarded for helping others.
8. Happiness is best shared with the people you love the most.
Hannah Niebel
You can visit the most beautiful places in the world, win the lottery, or even become famous. However, those things are not going to be special if you do not have anyone to share it with. Laughter is best shared with the people you love the most. My favorite person to share my happiness with is my Mom.
9. Never give up on something you have a passion for.
Hannah Niebel
My Mom taught me to never give up through the love that she shares with my Father. Marriage is not an easy thing to say the least, but through all the moves, deployments, and the journey that they have shared this far together, the spark that my parents have for each other has never dwindled once. So often growing up, my Dad would leave for months to a year at a time (from deployments). Her love for him only grew stronger and brighter in times of terrible connection phone calls and distance. I hope that one day I can be as strong and as faithful as a wife that my Mom is to my Dad.
10. Be a free spirit. Be different.
Hannah Niebel
She taught me that being normal and trying to fit in is a very boring and unrealistic thing to put myself through. Her character alone showed me that being genuinely yourself and not molding to what society wants us to form to is the best way to go through life.
I am a firm believer that we do not meet anyone on accident. There is a role for everyone that we meet in life. Some will test us, some will make us laugh, some will break us, and others will teach us. The people that are able to bring out the best in us are the people that we should never let go. Mom, you are the person who shaped me into the person that I am today.
No matter what, you have always brought out the best in me even during all those years when I was a devil child. I strive to follow your character and your selflessness through all my actions that I carry out in life. I know that I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have you as a Mom.
You are the strongest and most loving person that I know and I feel so blessed to have been raised by you specifically. You really are one in a million, and for once I am not just saying that to kiss up!!!
