I want to start off by thanking you for choosing life. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to have breath in a world that says it would’ve been okay to choose otherwise. Thank you for being selfless and choosing my heartbeat for your heartbreak. You looked at my soul that you hardly knew and decided it was more important than any judgement, life changes, or hardship that you were about to endure. At such a young age, you had the ability to recognize that I was more than a plus sign on a plastic test. Thank you for the courage that you poured into my life before I was even born and every second after.

While most young people spent their 20s drunk at a bar, you spent your time teaching me how to read and write, tie my shoes, and ride my bike. You spent your 21^st birthday with a baby on your hip, and not with shots in your hands. While so much of me wants to apologize for all you missed out on, you have instilled in my heart that you would’ve wanted it no other way. I will forever cherish the times we spent together as we both grew up. I am certain that it was in these moments that we developed an unshakeable bond. I’ve never doubted that first you’re my mother by the care you have provided, but as a close second you are my friend.

You had to work very hard to provide for me, but you’ve never fallen short of giving me everything I’ve ever wanted or needed. You are the definition of a super mom. Thank you for letting your love for me motivate you to do more than sit back. You went before me in everything, and even now that I’m grown you continue to show your faithfulness to my desires through sacrifice.

In every area of parenthood, I hope I’m a spitting image of you. I pray that I am able to show even an ounce of the selflessness you have displayed to me. I hope that I can love deeply, and let the overflow of that love pour into every piece of my life. When I’ve fallen flat on my face, you let me feel the weight of consequences, then immediately picked me up with such grace and love. Thank you for all that you are, because it has shaped all that I am.