Mom,

The older I get, the more I realize how important you are. Over the past 19 years, you've been there for me through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There is no one quite like you. My friends always tell me, "Your mom's, like, your best friend," and I couldn't agree more. You know the difference between when to "mom" and when to "friend," which is something most girls don't have the privilege of.

Before college, I think I took advantage of always having you around. Now that I'm about 60 miles from you, every second we share is much more precious.

I know I don't say it or show it enough, but I love you more than you'll ever know. You make it evident how selfless you are each and everyday, sacrificing your time just to make me, Colette, and Papa happy everyday. You could've chosen to be the mom who spends her weekends out with her friends or kept her Manhattan-dream job, but instead you chose us. And that in itself shows a lot about your character.

You are the strongest woman I know. Your childhood wasn't very pretty, to say the least. Any time I get angry with you, I remind myself how lucky I am to still have you around. You always say how you wish you had your mom around for a longer time, instead of God taking her when you were just nine years old.

But God gave you a challenge he knew you could handle. He knew you were strong enough to deal with the obstacle of living with your aunt and cousins. Being so independent at such a young age has shaped you into the determined woman you inspire me to be every single day.

Being a mom is a job in itself. But with your firey passion and endless love, this job comes easy to you.

I'm sorry for every single time I've snapped at you. When all you want to do is have a conversation, I know I can some off bitchy sometimes. I don't mean it. I could never imagine my life without you, and sometimes I need to be reminded of how lucky I am that you're both my mom and my best friend.

So thank you, mommy. Thank you for putting me first. Thank you for all of the sacrifices you've made. Thank you for giving me everything I've ever wanted. Thank you for reminding me of my worth each time I forgot. And thank you for believing in me when no one else did.

I hope to be half the woman you are someday.