Dear mom, now that I am older, I realize so much about how wonderful you are. I am sorry for every stupid fight we had about me forgetting to do the dishes or clean my room. I am sorry for when I was younger and always wanting to be a friend’s house rather than being home with you because nowadays, I wish you were here with me all of the time.

Now that I am older, I can see even more how much you have always done for me. The crazy part was that you did most of it by yourself. You had to play the role of two parents and I will never be able to express how much I appreciate that. When I was in tears over why my dad wasn’t around for months on end, you were always there to make sure that I knew that I was loved. You have always been there to pick me up when I am down, regardless of whether or not I let myself believe it, and I genuinely do not know what I would do without you.

You taught me that self love was the most important thing. I never knew what that really meant until I moved out and went to college, but you have always reminded me that being content with myself comes before everything. You taught me to be strong and that I can rely on myself to be happy. You taught me to see beauty in everything especially when in its simplest form. You taught me how to try new things and always look for ways to learn. You taught me how to overcome fear and how to walk over any obstacles that life throws at me. I see that in you everyday. I see how you come home from a stressful work day but still make sure to get everyone to appointments and soccer practices and swim lessons and cook dinner after such a busy day. I never really thought about how hard you work to make sure that everyone is happy. Your strength and perseverance holds strong everyday. I aspire to be just like that.

Now that I am older, I really want you to know that I think you are the most amazing and powerful woman out there. The main thing I have to say is thank you. Thank you for keeping me grounded and for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me how important and present love is. Thank you for always taking care of me. Thank you for being a ray of light even when all I can see is darkness.

You are my hero and ultimate inspiration. If I am half the mom you are someday, that’ll be one hell of an accomplishment.

I love you, mom.