I may be nineteen now, but I know that I will always be your little girl in your eyes.

I want to say thank you. Even though, I know some days it seems as if I am not grateful for what I have.

Thank you for being one kick in the tail of a single mom.

For the past twenty-one years, you have been a single mother to two (awesome) adults. You have never missed a beat, even when you are on the road. You've only missed a select few games, band concerts, and more out of the seven years that I participated in. You have hollered for me on the bleachers, on the sidelines of trumpet solos, and more. I am so thankful for that.

Thank you for standing behind me and not beside me. When times got extremely tough in high school, you stood behind me guarding my heart and I will never be able to repay you for that. You held me when I have cried, you have told me that I can succeed in life even when I feel like giving up, and you have done every little thing to keep a smile on my face. All of the nights of getting sick, you missed, but you never failed to call nanny to check on me.

Even though you do not like it when I decide to run my mouth when I have an opinion of something. I am thankful that you tell me when I am right and when I am wrong.

Thank you for being the voice in the back of my head. While shopping, I always try something on and even if I know I will look good in it, I always ask myself "Would my mom let me go out in this?" and then I tend to put it back on the rack. Having elegance has put me farther in life rather than just being pretty since you always tell me to be the girl that can still turn heads fully dressed.

I get it from you. Even when people tell me I am spitting image of daddy, I know that some days I look and act just like you because I have been told.

(Stop crying because I know you probably are by now)

I am proud of you. Extremely proud of you. You chose your children over trucking and I know some days that you wish that you could go back traveling around the world, you came home just for us. You do not know how hard it is being in school, worried that something happened and no one able to tell me.

Thank you for being one of the closest objects I have to papa, other than Nanny. You are "Just like Jimmy Lyles for the world" like nanny says. You always have to have the last word and there is no one in this world that reminds me of him other than you.

You can truly pluck my nerves, but I love you. Every time that we are in the car and you go over to poke me in the belly or tickle me, just know that I am secretly angry with you because I do not like it when people touch me, but I love you anyways.

Thank you for being proud of me too. You let me travel the world and even though I did not want to go at some points, I still went and I had the time of my life. You yelled when I always hit triples, you yelled at graduation and receiving my scholarship for me, and you have applauded me for all of the little things that I have accomplished in life.

You have gone above and beyond as a mom for us. I wish I could always take the pain away that you feel and just know that if I could, I most definitely would.

People always say that I have a laugh just like my mother does when you are the one who has taught me to smile when things get tough. Thank you for teaching me how to love with all that I have because someday someone will love me the exact same way.

I love you Momma and never forget it.

Love,

Jo