Dear Mom,
I know it was probably hard for you when I was little. You had to decide whether you were going to be home when I was off the bus, or working in the lab until late at night. But, I didn't mind you working. I got to go to the lab with you and play with the microscopes, your coworkers played games with me on your break, and it was like we had a family outside just you and me.
When I tell people you are a lab technologist they automatically ask, "Where did she go to school?" And proudly, with a smile on my face, I can say, "She didn't, my mother got where she is today without a degree."
You always impress me with how much you know, whether it's the cells of sick animals you can discover better than someone with a four year degree, or whether it's intricate biology details that I don't know how you picked up. And though you worked hard, I had the best childhood because of you. We always went on adventures, and you always allowed me to smile and be a kid no matter how hard life may have been. Whether it was going to the aquarium or any random park on the island, you're always up for an adventure, and that's a part of me I know I get from you.
I would much rather prefer you how you are than someone with a degree, because you worked so hard to learn as much as you know. You've worked so hard as a single parent trying to give us the best life possible, and you've excelled. My favorite is when I come home from school and you're almost asleep in your scrubs and jump up as soon as you see me, because I know you work so hard.
And look at you today; you're training new lab technicians straight out of college, and they thank you for giving them the most detailed information. You are teaching them better lab experience then their actual professors, and sometimes they thank you with cards or bottles of real Canadian maple syrup.
And we're still going on our adventures, and you still make me smile. So no, it doesn't matter that you don't have a degree. You push me to be the best that I can be, and you're always amazed at any grades I get on my tests or papers. From the time I was a little girl, I knew you were the smartest woman I had ever met, and today you are the same. You'll always be my role model, my hero, and my best friend. And whether it's teaching me things about blood that I can't understand, or telling me how to simply go through life, it matters the most coming from you.
I hope one day I can be half the woman you are. I hope my college graduation will be a celebration day for both you and me. I hope you keep telling me things about every animal breed that I may not have even imagined. And I hope that I make you half as proud as you've made me.
Love you more,
Your Proud Daughter
