To My Tree,

There will never be an article long enough, a text long enough, a phone call long enough that expresses how much you mean to me.

I know that we joke and pretend, but there will never be enough words to say how grateful I am to have such a strong relationship with you. Without this bond, I would not have been able to survive these first two months of a crazy, yet stressful journey we call “college.”

I remember just a few weeks ago when I was talking to another student about you, and he said that parents should never be your best friends. I remember looking at him straight in the eyes, and I just laughed at his unjust opinion. I remember proceeding this conversation by saying “my Mom is the only friend that completely understands me, the only friend that I could never get tired of, the only friend that manages to change my mood instantly.”

And this is true- I think having such an open relationship with your mother is the only way to have one. Why lie? Why hide things from your mother when she was doing the same at your age? Why diminish the strongest quality of trust between a mother and her child?

When I see these fabricated relationships, I just do not understand it. We are creations of our parents. We should be able to communicate truthfully with them. We should not fear them.

As each year progresses, I find myself relying on you for advice and guidance on how to successfully live in this roller coaster of life. Your wisdom has trickled into my mind, morphing me into another version of you- there is not another person in this world that I would rather be.

My friends notice it too- I have become another you, welcoming and full of amusement.

I do not think I could even imagine a life without you. Who could I FaceTime endlessly without getting tired of it? Who would listen to my ongoing paranoia or complaints? Who would sit beside me in bed when I cannot stop crying?

You have so many unbelievable qualities that seem impossible to possess. My friends, my cousins, your students- they all go to you for guidance, for a feeling of motherhood. You are crucial to so many people- do not ever change.

I just want to say thank you, because there is absolutely no other person that I can feel more comfortable with. I love you for you- I love you for the laughs, for the uplifting speeches, for the shoulder I can cry on.

I cannot wait to spend the future creating more memories and laughter and learning just how to be you.

Love,

The apple that didn’t fall far from it