Mother’s Day is a bonanza for greeting card companies, candy makers and restaurateurs, but that’s only the economic effects.

There’s a reason it remains one of the most popular of America’s non-holiday “holidays,” far surpassing Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day and other such commemorations in the amount of money invested by family members in honoring Mom.

Face it, folks: None of us would be anything at all without our mothers (and you, too, Dad, but this isn’t your day yet, so go sit over there and check to be sure you brought your credit card). True, being feted today as a mother or grandmother or great-grandma (or Noni, Meme or Omah, or any one of dozens of other titles, depending on your heritage), isn’t exactly like it used to be.

There was a time when mothers were taken to restaurants for dinner, given gifts and cards (the little handmade ones by the smallest children were the best) as a relief from doing the washing, the ironing and the cooking for one day a year.

Modern families are much more likely to share those duties, and live in a household where Mom spends as much time at the office as Dad (if not more). Nevertheless, there’s only one Mom, and nobody else can replace her — or her love for those she calls her own.

So, if you’re doing something special for Mom today, you know you’re doing it because Mom is special in ways that can’t be recorded on a balance sheet. How do you know people are special? Consider how your life would be different if they weren’t in it, and you’ll have the answer.

And if you know a Mom who has no one to make a fuss over her, consider including her in your plans today.

She’ll love you for it — which is what Moms do.