I have a secret to tell you, Mom:

I admire you more than you know.

When I went to college orientation, we had to talk about the most moving moments in our life so far. Many people talked about their pets, their grandparents, monumental moments in their education, friendships, family members that had passed... but all I could think about was you.

I haven't had a steady "moving moment" in my life just yet, solely because you move me each and every single day. While I talked about you at orientation, I almost immediately burst into a sea of tears. I wasn't discussing anything sad, I was just speaking from the bottom of my heart about how much you meant to me. I distinctly remember saying that all I want to do while I'm here at college is make you proud.

I really hope I am.

You make me proud every single day, mom. You make me so proud to be your daughter. I have never met a woman as strong and as inspirational as you. You always stand firmly for what you believe in, and you never settle for anything less than extraordinary. You fight for yourself and you fight for what you believe in, no matter who tries to hold you back. I aspire to be like that one day. I aspire to be like you one day.

If I were to ask someone to describe me, what is most commonly expressed is "you make people light up when you enter a room", and I know for a fact that I get that trait from you. No matter where you are, if you walk into a room with people that know you (even if only a little), an immediate smile runs across their face. While you may have RBF and you have the most distinct "eleven's" known to man, any person that gets to know you instantly falls in love with you and your personality.

Any person that gets to know you should consider themselves one of the luckiest people.

You make me so proud to be a woman of this society; you remind me every day how important it is to never let anybody walk all over you, and to never allow anyone to diminish your worth. You are the reason I strive to be the best me that I can be. Because of you, I feed off of "you can't"'s. Because of you, I know I always can.

Thank you for being my best friend and my mom all in one. I simply cannot find the words to express how thankful I am to have a mother like you. With the stories you tell, the advice you give, and your unconditional love, you have raised a daughter; a daughter that aspires to be just like her mother someday.

I have another secret to tell you, mom:

I love you. Always.