At nine years old, my mom took a pair of scissors to my hair with the intention of cutting every last strand. With the ever-debatable and emotionally eradicable personality I displayed as a middle-schooler, independency and the growing teenage brain took over. Through waves of friends and challenging classes in high school, incredibly stressful yet dramatic school dances, and let’s not forget college acceptances-- my mother was my rock.

She was the rock I always had, always came home to, and always was unconditionally supported by. And currently living 251 miles from my mom, I was not fully aware of how incredibly significant and powerful my rock plays in my life.

My mother deserves so much more than Mother’s Day, her birthday, and any day of the year for that matter. She was Superwoman when I was little, and to this day, I still can’t begin to explain how she still somehow does it all.

And maybe I just still have not completely grasped the concept of adulting, but my mom is astonishing at handling everything. After almost ten-hour long work days, I would still find myself walking in from practice seeing dinner on the table. Her days off typically are never “days off” of work. From doctor's appointments with her parents, endless food shopping trips, and infinite laundry, the woman is a bee.

My mother is the hardest working woman I know. Absolutely everything she does for her family or friends comes from the incredible amount of love, generosity, and goodness of her heart. Coming from Poland at a very young age, my mom’s successes, accomplishments, and life story continue to have me in awe. She has supported a family of five for twenty two years; raising me and my two brothers to high standards, an independent character, and showing us the purpose of hard work.

Through every incredibly difficult phase of my life, my mom has unconditionally been there through it all. For ten years, I was driven to every dance class by my mother, (and there were a lot), and completely supported through every five hour recital and terribly executed dance moves I attempted to perfect on stage, year after year.

When tennis replaced dance, my mother continued to play an incredibly supportive role through every lesson, match, and tournament; a span of endless opponents and endless emotion. My first heartbreak, my first job, my first college acceptance, (and of course the Glee tribute episode to Cory Monteith), tears were shed with my mom. Tears of laughter spawned from our weekly Bachelor nights, and the horrific yet hilarious encounter when watching We Are The Millers. Every bit of good news, or disheartening information, immediately went to my mom first. In completion with my freshman year of college, her outrageous and ridiculous emoji choices got me through the day.

Thank you, thank you for raising me to be the woman I am today.

Thank you for letting me sing John Mayer horribly loud in your car.

Thank you for cinnamon buns and warm coffee on a Sunday morning.

Thank you for spontaneous trips to Target, knowing they’re the cure to every bad day.

Thank you for all our day trips across the state, to beaches, cities, and more.

Thank you for constant reassurance, and helping me achieve my goals.

Thank you for support with every last one of my insane ideas, prom dress catastrophes and all.

Thank you for being my absolute best friend along with my mother, thank you.

There is not much more I could ever ask from my mom, who thankfully, plays a tremendous part as my best friend as well. Of course she has taught me how to grow more independent, but with spending months at a time away from her, I have realized more than ever how incredibly much she means to me. I strive to me the wholehearted, unstoppable, understanding, and generous woman my mother shines to be. You deserve so much more than Mother’s Day, you deserve so much, Mom.