Mother&8217;s Day is April 14. And this year I would like to take the opportunity to admonish all sons and daughters to take the time to tell their mothers how much they love them.

Don&8217;t just tell your mother &8212; show her.

Life is unpredictable. One never knows how soon a loved one will be gone, and we find that there was so much left to say that went unsaid.

This year my mother was in an automobile accident that left her with a broken wrist and knee. Luckily, she was in a new car with the latest protective technology and emergency help was quick to the scene.

My mother, who is 82, is undergoing rehabilitation even as I write this, and all is well.

But just as quickly, she could have been taken from me.

My father died when I was 15 years old from lung cancer. My mother raised both my sister and I alone. She never remarried, and put both of us through college.

Of course I tried to help by working summers. And I worked to earn an academic scholarship to help pay for college. My sister did as well.

But that itself is a tribute to my mother.

She showed us love and discipline. She impressed upon us the need for education. She raised us to respect the law and the rights of others. And she prepared us to make our way through life.

My mother worked for the U.S. Postal Service at the Bessemer Post Office for 40 years. And she pulled her own weight all of that time.

Whenever I&8217;ve needed advice, I could always talk her.

I know others out there have moms who have overcome great obstacles. But just raising children is a job in itself &8212; single or with a partner.

I just want to say Happy Mother&8217;s Day to every mother and tell my own mother how much I love her and respect her for what she has done for me