My sons are so thoughtful — and that’s not just mother love talking.

Mother’s Day was still nearly two weeks away a few years ago when I received a lovely text from my college-age son, who was just about to complete his third year at an upstate New York university.

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“I’ll be home on May 10 for a summer job interview,” he wrote. “Then I’ll stay with you through the weekend so we can celebrate Mother’s Day.”

There it was — in black and white right in front of me.

This child had already thought of me for Mother’s Day — in the middle of finishing spring semester classes, studying for final exams, preparing to move out of one apartment and into another for his senior year of college, saying goodbye to buddies for the summer months, and everything else that college kids are thinking of at this time of year.

When I read that text, I hadn’t even been thinking of Mother’s Day. My calendar was jammed. I was spending time with my younger son and my older stepsons, working, paying bills, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, taking care of the pets, worrying about an elderly neighbor who was sick, planning a summer vacation, and all the other things we moms, wives, full-time employees and caregivers do because it’s “part of our job” and in our DNA.

Related: Need a Great Mother’s Day Gift? Dark Chocolate Is Tops

So thank you, my son.

Thank you for thinking of me when no one told you to think of me.

Thank you for growing up so nicely.

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Thank you for becoming a young man I’ll be proud of forever.

Related: Kids Need More One-on-One Time with Mom

I don’t need flowers (though they’re always nice and I do love flowers). I don’t need candy (I’m trying to lose weight, which always seems the case). I don’t need cards (though I still have all the handmade ones you and your siblings made for me when you were little).

I do need your love, your thoughts, your companionship, your presence.

And my life is forever enriched, blessed and happier because of those things.

Thanks from one happy mom, on Mother’s Day and always.