Mother’s Day is this weekend, and while I just spent far too long looking at every single card at the drug store, the day means a little bit more than just a piece of colored paper.

Every year my brothers and I try to do something special for our dear mom—some years have bee more successful than others.

But no matter how much we hated that she made us eat our vegetables and pick up our dirty clothes, the day was always about honoring her sacrifices.

As a military family, we moved a lot and had to make new friends, but the five of us always had each other.

When my dad was away at sea or meeting with other foreign militaries, it was up to my mom to take care of us on her own. Her own parents were hundreds of miles away.

I often think that her sacrifice to our country was just as great, if not greater, than my father’s.

So, on Mother’s Day—and her birthday—we would do what we could to make her feel special and show her how much we appreciated her sacrifices.

We made breakfast in bed, handmade cards and took her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, anything we could think of.

As we’ve grown older, celebrating the occasion together as a family has become more difficult.

Both my high school and college graduations were held the day before Mother’s Day, luckily at a time when we were already together, but also when we were already exhausted.

Yet, we always found a way to make her day special, with breakfast feasts and jazz in the park.

This year, I’ll be miles away from my mother, but I know that my father will continue the tradition of making her feel as loved and appreciated as she deserves.

To all of the mothers and grandmothers reading, I wish you the happiest of Mother’s Days and hope it’s filled with lots of love and joy.