During my time at college I have realized how truly blessed I am to have had such supportive parents with high expectations. My mom and dad (or mama and daddy as I call them) are my biggest fans, and they have been since I was in the womb.

They have been there for every cut, bruise, sickness, heartbreak, and failure. I could not have done the past 19 years of my life without them. I don't say thank you as much as I should or would like to, I think that is something a lot of us can relate to. I decided to write a letter to help supplement for all the thank yous I haven't said;

Dear Mama and Daddy,

I want to thank you for raising me to be the woman that I am today. I couldn't have achieved anything without you in my life. You have always been there for me, you deserve the world, and I wish I could give it to you. Thank you. Thank you for putting antibiotic cream and band-aids on my various scrapes and cuts throughout the years.

Thank you for putting me in karate, and starting my motivation for being an independent and strong-willed person. I was lucky enough to have parents like you that would push past the stereotypes for children and allow me to be different.

Thank you for putting food on the table and making sure I had a roof over my head. I always took this for granted until I grew older and realized that not everyone's parents think they're obligated to do so. Thank you for being involved in my education! I can't express how thankful I am that you were motivating and you encouraged me to strive for success in anything I did.

Now that I'm older, I realize just how many kids out there have parents who couldn't tell you anything about their child's classes, teachers, or grades. Thank you for telling me I can do it, even when I'm sobbing and saying that I can't. "Can't never could" as my Mama would say.

Thank you for making sure I treated others with respect and knew how to be humble. Thank you so much for teaching me how to appreciate what I have. Thank you for being there when that jerk broke my heart and making sure I knew I was valued and would move on eventually. Thank you for making sure I knew I could do great things in life. Thank you for not giving me limits on my abilities.

I also want to thank you for teaching me how to check and change my oil, so that I can show up the guy who assumed I needed help. Thank you for helping me with college applications. Thank you for answering my multiple questions as I panic 2 hours away. Thank you for still making me feel like your little girl even though I'm married now. But most importantly, thank you for always doing the best that you can.

I know I don't say thank you enough, but I want you to know that it runs through my mind when I'm sitting at my desk looking at my high school graduation pictures, when I'm eating your delicious pumpkin rolls, or when I sit in class and hear about other people's experiences with their parents. There are so many other things I could thank you for, but I hope in your heart, you know all of them.

With love,

Holly Star