I came back to the capital city I live in after a weekend at home. My mother had packed courgette, cheese and an apple in my bag, along with a beautiful ornament she bought for me in the market (which gives me an alarming amount of joy every time I look at it, considering it's an inanimate object). This is the usual, she is forever helping me along the way in life - gorgeous dinners, helpful articles, advice and an attentive ear - she is truly remarkable.

Her sense of humour is one of the most miraculous things about her, even in the darkest moments she finds something to laugh at. I love this about her, and have definitely picked it up myself. She laughs at herself frequently, a trait I wish we shared.

I take myself too seriously sometimes, but she always brings me back down to earth.

I'm independent, hilarious, intelligent, full of integrity and exceptionally stubborn. I wouldn't be able to admit to these things without her constant encouragement throughout my life. She has given me the confidence to use positive adjectives about myself. Something I thought was inevitable with loving parents, not so.

I'm training to be a therapist - something I couldn't have done without my mother. She's always marvelling at my capacity for empathy, she really doesn't see that I inherited this from her. I wish I could instil in her the confidence she's instilled in me.