Dear Mom,

It's 6am and I can't sleep. I had just settled into bed and begun my nightly prayers when I was overcome with emotion thinking about you. I prayed to God that I would make you proud someday. I prayed that somehow I would find financial success so great that I could repay you for everything that you have done for me and all that you have sacrificed. I want you to know that I wish I could give you the world and more, but even that doesn't feel adequate enough.

If I could, I would buy you a nice, new house wherever you chose-here (our hometown), Colorado, or on the coast. I would pay for you to retire and make sure you would never want for anything. I would take you on trips all over the world, the first place being Ireland because I know it's your dream to go there.

Mom, I want you to know how immensely I love you. I don't say it enough and I know my actions sometimes often come across as quite the opposite. What can I say? I am YOUR daughter. We are so much alike that we collide and butt heads. And even though you know how to push my buttons worse than anyone in the world, I still love you. I know I can be selfish and hard to love sometimes and I know I have said and done terrible things. And I'm so sorry. I would give anything to take it all back. Thinking of the pain I have caused you breaks my heart.

We have fought like crazy, always at eachothers throats, but we've also stayed up nearly all night on multiple occasions bonding over heart to hearts. Those memories mean everything to me.

I just wanted to take this moment to express to you how much I value and appreciate you. You have never had it easy in life. You have endured so much pain and heartbreak that I can't even begin to imagine, but you carried the burden of being a single parent with no support system so well and I admire you for it. You have taught me how to be independent, compassionate, and empathetic towards others. Everything that I am is because of you. And I owe you so much gratitude and respect.

You have helped me through some of the darkest times in my life, times that I wasn't even sure I could pull through. But you helped guide me towards the light on the other side of the tunnel, despite the fact that I was blind to it. I love you so much. I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for everything.