My mother is the strongest person I know. She is my best friend, counselor, parent, and daily inspiration. Of course, we don't always see eye-to-eye and can get very frustrated with one another but she has never failed to be there for me and I only wish I could give back to her half of what she has given to me.

If you read my article on how my cat saved my life you know that my dad abruptly left our family. My parents were well into their 25th year of marriage and planning for retirement by buying their dream home in Sedona, AZ. Within a month of that my dad walked out and left my mom in pieces.

Now, my whole life I had only ever seen my mother being strong. She is independent, out-spoken, compassionate, and giving. She always took charge and was on every committee under the sun. Always making sure to be active in our schooling and extra-curriculars as well as the community. When I was born she chose to stay home and be a full-time mother, which is something I am so grateful for and hope to do for my own children in the future. I'm not sure I could ever describe to her how wonderful it was to come home to her everyday and know she'd be there for me no matter what.

She always made sure my brother and I had everything we needed and was welcoming to everyone. We always had friends around (many practically lived with us) and she encouraged us to make and keep great friendships and relationships with the people around us. She even fought to take guardianship of my best friend when we were in high school so that we could give her a better life and she remains a part of my family to this day. Something her and I are both eternally grateful for.

My mother also surrounded me with strong women from day one. I sometimes feel as though I have many mother figures in my life because of this. There was always a conscious effort made to be very honest with me about everything from sex to cooking to how to navigate life in general. The education she gave to me has helped me to always aspire for more from myself and motivated me to become a very open, honest, loyal human being.

When I watched my mom fall apart it altered my world. I was extremely angry. I fought very hard to pick up the pieces and get rid of anything and everything that represented the person who did this to her. She deserved better and I wanted her to be angry too. I knew if she got angry it would motivate her to move forward. It took a long time, a whole summer in fact, but she got herself together, which allowed me to fall apart. She then picked me back up and saved my life all while going through a major divorce. I felt, though she will never be quite the same person again (none of us will), the woman I always knew was back with a vengeance. I hope she knows how proud I am of her for making it through the next few, very tough years. She went back to school, got a second degree, and is now a full-time paralegal. Something I don't think many people would be able to do in their late 40s/early 50s after not being in the workforce for so long.

She pushed me to follow my dream to Florida and has been very supportive whenever I need her. Without her I would have never made it to college graduation or been able to move down here permanently with my boyfriend last December. Sometimes as kids we forget to let our parents know what they mean to us, we start to take them for granted, and we may even beat them up a little too much, which isn't fair. I suppose I'm writing this to remind her that she is the most influential person in my life and I am beyond proud to call myself her daughter. She will always remain my rock in this ever-changing, stressful, wonderful life.

Thank you for being you. I love you Sunshine.

-Your Peapod