Everyone has a mother, but our reasons for cherishing and loving our moms is as varied as the day is long.

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, we asked some of our friends and family how their moms shaped their lives.

• I admire her, I can ALWAYS depend on her, and she makes me feel unconditionally loved and worthy. She treats me with respect and admiration. And she is sweet and smells good!

• She’s always there for me and the older I get the more sense she makes. Nowadays, I can disagree with her and I think she respects me more for that, as long as I am not too over the top. She likes the person I am and is never afraid or hesitates to say so. It’s like having your own personal cheering section.

• She had all those motherly qualities – adoring, supportive, and affectionate – but she also had a great sense of humor. I enjoyed her company as much as I loved her.

• She taught us fairness and non-prejudice from a very early age.

• Some days the only thing that keeps me going is knowing someone loves me unconditionally. That someone for me has ALWAYS been my mom.

• My mom is my best friend: she makes me laugh, she loves me regardless of how silly I am or how many bad decisions I make, we share clothes, we share food, we share a love of life. I know that any story I tell or any observation I make will never bore her. She always understands what I am trying to say, even when I don’t know what I mean. She is beautiful. I am proud to introduce her as my mother.

• I loved my mom’s affection for animals.

• I love my mom because she has supported me through various changes in my life, including three college majors, several career moves and more. She has always taught me that at the end of the day you must depend on yourself and that is one of the most powerful messages I have ever received.

• On one level, she was the stereotypical stay-at-home mom, always doing stay-at-home mom stuff. But behind the scenes, she really kept the whole extended family together across miles and generations … Which goes to show that our parents actually have lives, interests and identities apart from just being our parents, which we may not always realize. That was humbling to learn, and makes me wish I’d paid more attention while she was here. Still, I’m glad to remember her as the woman who would read to me all day when I was home sick from grade school, and who loved me in spite of myself after I grew up.

So on Sunday, when you give your mom flowers, a card, or perform yard work for her, tell her why you love her. The answer is more meaningful than any gift.