If you know me you might know that my parents divorced when I was younger. My mother from the beginning has been the parent to be there for me. My mother had the task of being both mom and dad. Thats a really hard thing to do especially with two girls. She might not think that she is a great parent because of how my sister turned out but she is amazing. She is an independent women and doesn't need help from anyone. She never relied on anyone and I want to be that strong someday. She has been an great example of a strong women. She achieves everything that she believes she can accomplish. She has dealt with my dead-beat dad who does nothing for our family. I look at her and praise her for dealing with him nicely especially since he cares about no one but himself.

She can laugh at herself which is a skill that you need because not everything in life is so serious. Her job can be challenging but she makes it through it. She has won awards and have helped others win awards. She didn't go to college first out of high school but worked to get the money to pay for college. I thought about doing that but my mother encouraged me to just go to college. She wanted me to have a college experience. She has been teaching for 29 years and still loves it. She found a career path that she still loves to do. I look at that and hope that I have chosen the right career and have the same attitude that my mother does. She is so creative and I wish I had an ounce of her creativity. She can literally turn a umbrella into a palm tree. She looks at things not like other people.

She sings and makes up songs. Sometimes I can't even tell if she made up the song or not. She is just that creative. Even though I thought it was embarrassing as a kid her making up songs have affected me now in my adult life. I find myself making up songs . She has had made me who I am today. I am witty and sarcastic just like she is. She has exposed me to different cultures and taught me to love myself and others that are different from myself. She has always been my number one supporter and has never put me down. She has taught me to love everyone and accept everyone. I'm grateful for that because I'm not judgmental and see people for who they are. She can be blunt but she does it to help you. I'm aware now if I smell or if my hair is in a knot because of my mothers constant reminders. She can easily make friends with anyone. She has literally struck up conversations with people in Target. I hope that one day I can be as open as she is. She is very selfless. She has always put her children before herself. She has bought me and my sister clothes instead of getting nice clothes for herself. She has sent me to New York and Italy. She gave me an opportunity to get out and discover the world. She has provided so much. She has made a mark on many peoples lives and she has on mine. I don't know what I would do without her. Even now I see the difficulties that she will face and I know that she will be great to my nephew; her first and only grandchild.

Thank you mom.