You taught me everything I know.

I know that you will deny this, saying I’m a lot smarter than you and that to this day you don’t know where I got all my best qualities from, but I’m here to tell you I know exactly where I got it from.

You’re the bravest, sweetest, most caring, kindest, most beautiful, open-minded, faithful, amazing human being that I know. I have many adjectives I could use to describe you, but then I would spend this entire article naming words to describe how much I adore you. So instead of using up my word count by spitting out adjectives as quickly as I can type, I’m going to focus on one specific quality that I can argue is one of your defining qualities.

You’re the kindest woman I have ever had the pleasure to get to know, and I’m your biggest fan. I know you better than I know myself and I know that by this point you’re wondering who this article could be about, but in my eyes, there’s no one else who could fit this description.

I’ve known you my whole life and you’ve watched me grow up. I realize now that I am older that I truly have become a version of you. Not only do we look alike, but we sound exactly the same on the phone, so much so that I get called by your name almost every time I pick up your phone. We feel the same sense of never being quite good enough despite our best efforts too. I have a lot of the same qualities you do.

You taught me to be kind which is one of the most valuable traits you could have taught me, and that was all your doing. Being the oldest of three kind-of forced me into this position of constantly looking out for my brother and sister, whether they wanted my help or not. While I will admit that when I was younger it definitely came across as being bossy, I now see it as my trying to be like you and help others in any way that I physically can.

You don’t hesitate when someone needs help and you don’t take other people’s struggles lightly. You go out of your own way to offer assistance to someone, taking on more than you need to just to lighten the load for someone else. I’ve seen you do this more times than I can count. You do not even think about what kind of stress or headache it’s going to cause you when you take on more than you need to.

You could take the weight of the world onto your shoulders and never complain.

I could also see you not wanting to give up because it would cause someone else pain and stress. This in itself means more to me than anything I could have learned from you. You’re the first in line to comfort someone when they are going through a hard time. You call them and offer to make them something, offer prayers and guidance, offer to take care of their house for them, or to just offer a shoulder to lean on.

You’re the best crutch anyone could ask for.

I mean this in the best possible way. If I was ever in trouble or struggling, you’re one phone call away. Talking to you makes everything okay. You taught me to be a good shoulder to lean on. When I started high school, I really started to bite off more than I could chew. I was running a million different directions all the time and still somehow kept adding things to my plate when someone asked. I couldn’t say no.

This is something we both have been struggling to fix.

Saying yes, no matter the task, is something we do an awful lot. We bring more stress onto ourselves so others can breathe a little better, but this is because we’re kind and we can’t stand to see someone else suffer when there’s something we can do about it.

Now at this point, you’ve probably figured out that I’m talking about you and are trying to think of others in the world who are making a difference in a big way. Maybe there’s someone in Africa who is teaching children and working to get them clean water. Maybe there’s someone who works in the inner city of Detroit and gets kids off the streets. Maybe there’s a celebrity who donates millions of dollars to charities for cancer. You’d be right; I can think of several people in each of these categories and they are all very kind and generous.

But don’t think for one second you are not as kind.

Money is tight for everyone, including us, but I’ve seen you reach into your wallet in church, and, even if it’s only a few dollars, put what you have to give into the collection. I’ve seen you give someone back their purse they left behind. I’ve seen you help someone climb stairs when they were struggling. I’ve seen you look out for an elderly woman to give her family a peace of mind, knowing you’d be there at her house at least once a week. I’ve seen you bend over backward to make sure something gets done for someone that you shouldn’t have had to do in the first place. I’ve seen you struggle to find meaning in why you do these things when no one appreciates you for them.

But I appreciate you more than you can ever know.

Please don’t change.

Please don’t ever think that what you do isn’t appreciated or that you aren’t something I can be proud of because I am. I am proud of you in everything you do and you will forever be the woman that I will look up to above everything else.

Please don’t stop being kind. Your kindness is something people nowadays have lost touch with and we can’t ever do that. Your kindness shows me, and so many others, that there is hope still in the world.

Please don’t feel like you didn’t do a good job raising me because I am living breathing proof that you taught me what was really important in life and I thank you every day for it.

Please let me be your crutch from time to time.I rely on you a lot, and you like to go at things on your own. Please don’t do this. You taught me to be kind and to help others when they need it most. That means, when you feel lost and alone, you call me and I return the favor for all those phone calls and conversations where I was crying and needed someone to talk to.

I cried as I wrote this, and that’s because I know how underappreciated you feel from time to time because I feel it too. But you are never underappreciated. I treasure you and everything you do.

You taught me everything I know.

Let me show you what I learned from you.

I love you, Mom, and I will always be here for you.