Putting into words how much you love someone can be really hard. The love is sometimes so powerful, you’re left speechless.

One of the most beautiful explanations my mom has used to describe her love for us came as a response to a bit of a smart answer I gave her.

She’s always said my brother and I are her lungs, without us she cannot breathe. One day I said to her:

“Bueno, uno puede vivir con un pulmón.”

           (Well, you can live with one lung.)

She replied:

“Si, pero no vuelves a ser la misma.”

          (Yes, but you’re never the same.)

Her response made me think, and I always remember it. It taught me how much you can mean to someone. You always know your mom loves you, but when it’s compared to something essential, like your lungs, you pause and really reflect.

I, too, honestly feel like I cannot breathe without my mother. In times of happiness, she’s there smiling ear-to-ear, in times of sadness, she holds my hand, and in challenging times, we love each other and stay positive.

Certain weeks, you feel really lucky and blessed. This week, I’m grateful for breathing room.

Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.”