Four weeks until I graduate, then everything will change. Wow has time gone fast, Mom and Dad. I was always your partner in crime, and of course your little girl. So with love, I want to thank you for investing in my life.

Dad, you were always there for me through thick and thin. When I was hurt because my father wouldn't pick me for the weekend, you always knew how to make it better, either with the love we share of Swiss rolls, or just embracing me (sorry about soaking your shirts).

You are awesome. I was always your partner in crime, and of course your little girl. So with love I want to thank you for investing in my life.

Thanks for showing me what a godly man looks like. You taught me to have confidence even when I mess up. For example, when I was six you trained me for my first martial arts competition. It wasn't terrifying until I stood in front of the judges and my brain was a clean slate from the form we practiced daily, but when I got through with it I knew you were proud of me.

Mom, you are a true blessing, though you won't see it, you took the risk of homeschooling me and giving me the education you knew I deserved. Now here I am graduating in four weeks. I am so excited to start this new adventure, but before I do I want to say thank you for helping me learn how to speak up when someone would look down on me, either because I'm homeschooled or because of my faith. Thank you for bringing me to church. You brought me to Faith Baptist Church when I was three years old. It might be a small, unimportant memory, but I believe it is important because there God gave you a husband and me a dad, most importantly you showed that receiving Christ as your savior is the best decision anyone could ever make.

Thank you both for being my parents and for loving all of my silliness, sensitivity and the list can go on and on, but I will keep it short.

God gives us all different kinds of blessings, but I believe the biggest blessings God gave us are parents. Dads give us just the right amount of tough love when we need it, because come on! Girls are just too emotional. (I am not bashing girls because I am emotional roller coaster myself). Moms give that perfect touch of love and give us an example to serve. They are not perfect, yes, are they absolutely amazing!

I don't want to leave out those who don't have parents or don't have a good communication with their parents, because this article is not about leaving people out. I know there are bad parents out there who don't love their children. My heart breaks for them, but there is always a light in darkness, and that light is Jesus Christ.

He loves you and has a Father who wants you. If God didn't love you, then He wouldn't have sent Jesus to die on the cross for us and break the barrier of sin that was between us and God. He wants you, and even though you are going through tough times, the world might seem as if it is swallowing you, but there is a savior who wants to save you.