My mom holds a special place in my heart. She is my best friend, confident, and the one I go to when I’m sad. I am honestly so lucky to have her as my mother; I wouldn’t want anyone else to take her place. Through my eighteen years of life I have learned so many things from her about life, love, and beauty. Here are just a few of the many pieces of wisdom she’s given me that I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for her patience.

Little thirteen-year-old me was not fun, let me tell you; the whole puberty thing did not come lightly and through all the tears, anger and acne, my mom stood by my side to talk it out, discuss the awkward things, and just be there. She dealt with the fighting matches and my stubborn attitude all the while baking me cookies and watching rom-coms with me. I can only hope I’ll do the same with my daughter (if she’s anything like me, it will be a trial to practice that trait).

I'm thankful for her fashion taste.

My mom never picked out my clothes for me. I was always insistent in choosing my own, mismatched clothes for school. And she let me. Unfortunately, that didn’t help with all the pictures that were taken from Kindergarten to fifth grade (think a bunch of patterned stretch pants with glitter tank tops and a bunch of jewelry and tennis shoes to match). But it shaped my style today and allowed me to experiment with what I love. Without her non-intervention of my fashion choices, I probably wouldn’t be as confident with my clothing today.

I'm thankful for the spiritual guidance.

Ever since I was little I’ve been going to church, hearing stories about the Bible, and praying before bed. But it wasn’t until I was in seventh grade that I really realized what Christianity was; it was all thanks to my mom. Seeing how much faith she had in God and how utterly dependent she put her life in His hands was a real inspiration to me. To see her worship in church and get into the music is a sight to see. Because of her, I pursued my faith more deeply and push to have a relationship with God like she does.

I'm thankful for her time.

She never, ever, had a point where she didn’t have time for me. She would give me attention at the drop of a hat. Heck, she spent years at home just to hang out with me and it didn’t stop there. Even now, in college, I always call her and she always answers.

I'm thankful for her friendship.

She was there when nobody else was. She’s the only constant in my life. She’s the person that would go buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream while watching a rom-com with me at night. When we moved around, and I knew nobody, I had her. Even when I had friends, I could still count on her.

I'm thankful for her honesty.

When we go shopping she gives me her dead honest opinion. She always makes sure whatever outfit I pick out, doesn’t make me look awkward or bad. If she didn’t like one of my friends, she told me. Though sometimes I argued with her and didn’t agree with her thoughts, she always ended up being right.

Darn moms.

I'm thankful for her sacrifices.

If you counted how much I cost my mom in my years of living, she could probably afford three houses in Hawaii. From the Hannah Montana concerts, to Taylor Swift, to my prom dresses...that adds up. As I am on my own in college, I realize how much she’s given me, and how much she sacrificed.

I'm thankful for the college payments.

A huge gift she’s given me that I have yet to comprehend is the gift of college. She went al the way back to school, got her teaching degree, and went back to working after so many years of relaxing at home, just so she could pay for my college. She did it all so I didn’t have to pull out any loans, or pay a cent for my education. I don’t think her present to me will fully register until later, but I know how big it is, and how much I should thank her for it.

I'm thankful for the freedom.

My mom never really had to be strict with me. She set boundaries but gave me a freedom that made me not rebel as a child. She let me dye my hair weird colors (bless that awkward twelve-year-old me with that weird emo hair phase), go out with my friends, and never truly hovered over my shoulder. Her saying was always, “pick your battles,” which led her to not make me claustrophobic and have the need to hide things from her.

I'm thankful for my personal photographer.

Whether it was a cute outfit day or my best friend and I wanted to do a photoshoot, my mom would walk around the neighborhood and take a million pictures of me and my friends, looking our best. She did this without complaining, and always laughing at the funny poses and ideas we would come up with.

I'm thankful for the clean laundry.

She never trusted me to not mess it up (probably wise thinking) so she always devoted her time to my laundry. Even though I always filled up the basket. Still, in college, she does it for me whenever I go home.

I'm thankful for the unconventional love.

No matter how horrible I acted, or how mean I could be, she loved me no matter what. Even when I was acting out and being unreasonable. Of course, that’s something all moms are supposed to provide to their kids. But there are some who don't get that and I am very thankful I do.

I'm thankful for the prayers.

Even before I was born my mom prayed for me, for my health and my future. To this day I am still receiving the blessings she prayed for and continues to pray for. Through her praying ferociously and protecting me from the enemy I am who I am today. It’s something that I think every person should do for their child.

There are many more things my mom has done for me and that I am very thankful for, but that list could go on forever. If there is one thing I could do in life, that would be to be the kind of mom my mom was to me. There’s truly nobody like her at all, on earth.

Thank you mom.