This article is dedicated to my mother, Iris Tate, for giving me wisdom, life, and love that only she could give me. Thank you for your ongoing support and for teaching me to fly so now I can soar.

In high school, I competed in the Miss Raider Pride pageant. All the other girls had expensive dresses, and professionals styled their hair and did their makeup. Because my mother and I did not have the time nor resources to go to the extreme for this pageant, I was not able to be like the other girls. My mother and my godmother came and styled my hair and makeup, while I used my old prom dress and one of my mother's dresses. I was still confident, and my mother motivated me to do the best that I could do.

That night, I was crowned Miss Raider Pride, and my mother, godmother, and I were in tears. I took the road less traveled, and I still came out on top thanks to my mother, Iris Tate.

As a college student, I am currently trying to find my place and my purpose in society, It is not easy; I sometimes have the most difficult times to make life-changing decisions on my own. But when I struggle with my school work, deciding which classes to take, and my future, I always know who to call.

My mother raised me with all the knowledge and power that she had, molding me into a strong and confident woman. Her advice and wisdom is what has taken me to the highest heights, where I have been able to achieve all that I have wanted to accomplish. She inspires me to continue on and never let anyone or anything stand in my way of what I want to do.

One thing that amazes me about this woman is that she has done it all alone. It takes a certain type of woman to raise a child alone, and I'm so blessed for my mother to be one of those special women.

Single mothers are true blessings, as they have to be the mother and the father in the family. They sacrifice their lives so their children can be better than them. As a child, it is hard to notice that what they are doing is to help us and not hurt us. Sometimes we say things that we do not mean out of anger, and some of those things can be hurtful to our mothers because we do not understand.

For that, I say thank you. I never understood everything that you meant until I became an adult and have to make life-changing decisions. Thank you for not giving up on me even when I gave up on myself. Thank you for giving me another chance when I did not deserve it.

Thank you to every single mother in the world. I understand that it is not easy, and I feel that I cannot say thank you enough for changing lives while sacrificing your own.

Single mothers seem to be able to do the same things for their children that two parents can do. In many ways, they do more. My mother made sure that I was never getting anything less than what someone else had just because my mother was a single parent. She sacrificed so I could stand out in the crowd, and it has paid off.

So, thank you, mommy, for being my guiding light. How can I give to someone who has given me everything? Well, mother (and every single mother), I hope that this is a great way to say thank you.