Dear Mama,

Thanksgiving came and went this year and as we went around the table, I couldn't help but think of you. When it comes down to what I'm thankful for, you're so high up on my list. You introduced me to acting (my first love) and music (my second). I don't know if you knew but you were such a major part of my adolescence and were so responsible for my maturity.

You shaped my interests. You introduced me to the legends in show business that usually followed some crazy story of how you met that star. You had such a knack for storytelling. You'd walk into a room and everything stopped. You were such a great actress and would preform the best monologues. You were always so dramatic and could get into character so easily. I always admired that about you. You would attend all of my shows and always give me the greatest compliments I could ever ask for. Your kind words meant the world to me.

You could talk to any single person and had the magical ability to make them feel like the only other person in the world. You made people feel so special and would constantly form friendships with strangers in the most unlikely places. Everyone that met you loved you. It wasn't possibly to not love you. You had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known. You genuinely cared so much about everyone and were so transparent in your compassionate gestures.

When we were younger, you provided such a safe haven for my sister and me. You said that if we ever went to a party and couldn't get back safely, you would pick us up and allow us to stay at your house. You wouldn't tell anyone and it would keep it between us. You permitted us to confide with you and would never tell a soul.

I remember the time you told me that you'd be around forever. You told me that you'd live to be one-hundred-and-ten. You promised. Unfortunately that's not exactly a promise that I could hold you to as much as I would like to. Just because you're not here doesn't mean that I don't think of you. I think of you all the time. Every decision that I make is directly or indirectly influenced by you. You were the grandma of my heart and I was the grandson of yours.

It's been over two years since you've been gone now. Every August third, the family lights some candles in your memory for your birthday. A soft Kaddish prayer is said in your honor, and we sit in silence for a minute. Everyone who knew you knew how much you loved your birthday. That and how much you loved your family and the color orange.

There are so many life lessons that you taught me. You helped show me to never give up. You emitted courage and confidence and everything that I wish I had more of. You were as sharp as a whip and always had the best memory. And if anyone challenged you to charades, they could always expect an intense battle. The small things are what I tend to remember the most.

Every time something happens in my life, I wish that I could give you a call and talk to you. I wish I could hear your voice one more time. I still have the last voicemail you ever left me on my phone. As much as I would've liked to have answered the phone when you called, I'm so grateful I have that last voicemail saved.

I hope you knew just how much you meant to me. I hope you knew that I love you to infinity and back. I hope you knew that you will always have such a huge impact on my life. There's so much that I'd like to tell you and there's so much that I didn't say. In case you're wondering, I'm doing well. I'm still in school and I'm happy for the first time in a while. I owe so much to you. I love you mama, I always have and I always will.