This is coming out as a post-Mother's Day letter, but it will surely be one of the most important articles I will write. In recent time, my relationship with my mom has change significantly, and resulted in many pleasant surprises. This letter has taken me days to write, and I am sure after she gets to read it I will have thought of more things to say that express truly how I feel, but anyways...
Dear Momma,
Happy late Mother’s Day, gorgeous. You’re only nationally recognized one day each year, but you deserve far more. One day for you is only a starting point to how much you’re qualified for.
I have to start with telling you thank you. Thank you for loving daddy so much that you changed your mind about not wanting any more eggs in your nest, had your tubes untied, and had me, your miracle baby. Thank you for loving me through my early years where I was unforgivingly sassy and my only goal in life was to constantly ask you for things. Thank you for always paying my library fines. On a weekly basis we would take trips to the public library where I would insist on needing 21 library books to take home because you read to me every single day. Thank you for always being there to help me with homework and projects. Sometimes I didn't even have to ask and you would stay up for hours, finishing up my coloring on my fifth grade North Carolina project. Thank you for always being at my recitals, shows, and concerts. You never missed anything. Thank you for not killing me in middle school. Thank you for never pushing makeup on me. Your whole goal was to make me comfortable in my own skin, and never once did you push me to be something I was not. Thank you for taking me to all of my doctor and dentist appointments and never leaving my side. Thank you for all the times you embarrassed me by dancing in public places. I now have a collection of wonderful videos of you embarrassing yourself! You taught me to be such an outgoing person. No matter where we go, you will see someone you know. It always makes me laugh when you remember people and they're shocked you even knew their name. I've always paid attention to detail because of that. Thank you for not attacking me over my mistakes. Your lectures were painful enough, but I know now how much you have always cared for me. Thank you for always working so hard so I could have all the things I wanted. You were always the dance mom, the theater mom, the PTA mom. Anything I was involved in, you were right there to support me, never complaining about how horrible the other moms that you had to deal with were. You were never anything like them, but you stayed quiet and put up with them. You're always so nice momma. I don't think you have a mean bone in your body. Thank you for loving animals so much that our home has always been open to the neighborhood strays. Thank you for washing my hair all the times that I was in a cast. Thank you for always messing up song lyrics so I could correct you and die laughing.
Looking back, there have been so many times that we have laughed until we cried together and I wish I had videos of them and I could play them again and again. The times we've laughed and said you'll be late to your own funeral. The time we threw the corn tortillas around like frisbees. The times we backed right into each other's cars and just stood there and laughed. The time you played the harmonica and I took a video and you tried to tackle me to delete it. All the times you have brought up the funny things I did as a kid like lying and saying that the dill pickles I ate made me paint my sister's bedspread. All the times I've gotten random friends of mine to call you Mother Teresa because you were always the friendly mom. The time you got sunburnt on the backs of your knees and you looked so red that you glowed. I have so so much to be thankful for.
I wish you saw in yourself what the rest of us do. You're absolutely beautiful and I am SO proud of you for graduating from college this year. You always taught me never to give up. We may not look much alike, but I promise I strive to be just like you.
Again, Happy late Mother's Day mommy. I love you way more than I tell you, and that will change. The older I get the closer we get, just like daddy always said. I could not ask for a better woman to call my Momma. 
