"Words are not enough to express the unconditional love that exists between a mother and a daughter."

Dear Ma,

I am 22 years old, and I know that any and every moment that has shaped me as a person, can simply be boiled down to you. Parenting is not a promise of perfection, rather, it is a promise to support, nourish, and love your child with every ounce of your being. You have sustained that promise and have allowed me to have a relationship that spans beyond that of a mother and a daughter. I have been gifted with a best friend, a confidant, and my biggest supporter.

Thank you for making me a priority, even if that meant putting yourself on the back burner.

It couldn't have been easy, having to constantly put your children before your own needs. Having to sacrifice moments, opportunities, and time that could have benefitted you for the sake of your children. I think too often as children, even as we grow up to be young adults, we fail to see the unconditional love that underlies those actions. So many sacrifices, we as children are unable to see, so many sacrifices left thankless and unacknowledged. You made it seem so effortless to love each and every one of us with your whole heart.

Time and time again, you have dropped everything for us children. There were times in the middle of the night, I would call you sobbing over a recent heartbreak, a mental breakdown from the piling stress or just from feeling lost in life. I knew that I could count on you to be there for me, to wipe away my tears, and to give me comfort. I wish one day I can grow to be someone as compassionate and loving as you.

Thank you for teaching me to love and to learn to be loved.

Growing up, even on my hardest days, you showed me what it meant to be loved. You would constantly go out of your way to show each and every one of us children just how much you cared, appreciated, and valued us. Not simply for being your children, but for who we were as our own individual persons. Navigating puberty and my adolescence was difficult, but I knew that I could count on you to nurse my wounds, shed my insecurities, and be able to find the parts of me that were worth loving. Not enough thank yous in the world could allow me to show you my appreciation for your patience and love in those times.

You were the beam of light in my times of darkness.

As you get older, it continuously gets more and more difficult. Trying to discover your true self and dodge all of the societal norms and unrealistic expectations is utterly exhausting. There were times I could not stand to look myself in the mirror, to celebrate myself for who I am, for all I could do was wallow in my mistakes and wear my failures like a cloak for all to see.

In those times, I felt defeated against life. I felt like I could never get it right, never be able to be half the woman that you are. In those moments, you showed me the love that I needed, that I deserved. You allowed me to rid myself of that toxic mentality and see the attributes that make me amazing, where you helped me believe that I am worth celebrating. You helped me believe in myself like you've always done.

I will never take our relationship for granted.

I am aware that there are many individuals who have unstable relationships with their parents, and that what I have with you is truly a privilege. Many young adults have their own chosen families, but I have been lucky to have had a best friend from the moment I was born, my mom.

As I have gotten older, I have resented my angsty teenage years, where I would tell you how much I hated you in the heats of anger and failed to show you my appreciation for what I have, what you have given me. I have kicked myself, years later, as I see the moments where I did not savor every last minute of being able to run into your arms and have you protect me from the horrors of the real world.

I will never, ever take a single minute, second, moment for granted with you. Our relationship is one of the few aspects of my life that keep things stable, keep my life sane. I have been granted the biggest blessing, and it is truly having you as my mother.

I didn't know it was possible to have someone as wonderful, compassionate, or loving to be a part of my life, but I am one of the lucky ones. You may not be able to see it, but you are the closest think to perfect. You are everything a person should be and then some.

I love you with all of my heart, Ma.

Love,

Your Little Girl

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take." -Cardinal Mermillod