When was the last time you told your mom how much she meant to you?

If you're like me, you probably don't say it enough. I wanted to take the time to really tell my mom how appreciative I am of her (hence this article) and to hopefully inspire others to do the same. No matter the relationship you have with your mom, I hope reading this inspires you to tell your mom how thankful you are for her. Whether that's by prayer, a phone call, or the next time you see her, I hope you take the opportunity to tell her everything she deserves to hear.

Dear Mom,

Where do I even begin? I don't know how I can ever truly thank you for everything you have done for me but I hope this article is a good start. From the very beginning, you have always been there for me. All throughout my childhood, teenage years, and now my early adulthood, you have never left my side and for that, I am the most grateful. You stuck with me throughout all of the different phases of my life, including my teenage years which says a lot. I have never had a relationship with someone as loyal as you. Even when I didn't believe in myself and didn't know my own worth, you were and still are the first person to remind me of it. You believed in me before anyone else did and sometimes before I even believed in myself, which speaks volumes. I am so blessed to have had an amazing mother like you. To have a person who is always there for me, through the good times and the bad means more than I can put into words. Life can be so scary and confusing but you will always be the first person to tell me to check my priorities, to focus on the big picture and what really matters. How lucky am I to have such a great mother that does all of these things without being asked?

Not only am I grateful for you sticking by my side and always being the first one to help me with anything, but also for the relationship we have developed. You're truly my best friend. Not only are we mother and daughter but we are the best of friends too. I always knew and still know that I can come to you about anything. Whether you would be proud of me or not, we never have had any secrets and I think that says a lot about us. Growing up, many of my friends would hide things from their moms because they didn't fully trust them or feel completely comfortable talking about certain things, I never had that problem. Our relationship seemed so effortless and natural I would wonder why my friends and their moms weren't like us. I then realized our relationship is something special. I have never had a bond with any other person like you and I don't think I ever will. Our bond goes deep, deeper than most and I am so thankful for that. You always say we are a team and I couldn't agree more. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without you, without the deepest bond I have ever known.

I hope this gives you a glimpse of how much you really mean to me. There are no amount of words I could say to truly capture how I feel, but this will do for now. I hope you always know how thankful I am for you and everything I said here, even if I don't tell you everyday. You are one amazing person that I am lucky to call my mother. You continue to inspire me every day by your strength, determination, kindness and so much more. For all of that I say thank you, thank you for being my mom and my best friend.