Throughout my life, I have always been able to rely on three pivotal people in my life, my mom, my sister Abbi, and my father. All of them are so important to me, but I want to focus on my mother for this article. My mother has always put my sister and me first and has given up so many opportunities to give us the best life.

Dear Mom,

From day one, literally from the first day I was born, you have been there for me. You have held my hand during the tough times, picked me up when I've fallen, and pushed me when I wanted to quit. You have taught me to be tough when times get hard. You are the strongest woman I have ever met and knowing that you will always be in my corner is comforting.

No matter what you had going on you always made time to ask about our days, actually, listen to us, and hear our concerns. You have always been busy, but you never made your family feel like you are too busy for us. You always made sure you had time to do the simple things like pick Abbi and I up from school until we got our driver's license and could take ourselves.

You always sat down with us and made sure you listened to everything going on with our lives. You always remembered what was going on, like when we had a big test or were under stress. You made sure that you made us feel heard and you were always there to help us as well. You have never turned us down when we asked for help or when we wanted to show you something we made or a project we have worked on.

Throughout Abbi and I's high school career, you were always in the stands and were always cheering us on. Not only did you never miss a single rodeo in 16 years, middle school basketball games (even though we sat on the bench most games), or honor society and FFA banquets, you were always there with a smile on your face and always the first one to make sure that we had everything we needed.

If we were first up in an event and we didn't think we would have time to do everything, you would be there to be our savior and help us get it all done and not to stress.

Not only have you never missed a single thing in my life, continually supported me, and been there for me, you have also been my best friend and actually given me a best friend for life. You have never left my side, no matter how many times I call and FaceTime you a day. You always answer the phone, no matter what you are doing or who you are with.

You always allow me to vent or complain to you, and you always tell me when I am overreacting or being dramatic. You never fail to be by my side and support me. You understand me and understand my feelings better than anyone else.

So thank you, Mom. Thank you for being my best friend, for always supporting me and supporting our family. You have been a pillar for not only our community but for our family as well. You have been a role model, a supporter, and basically a superhero for us and our family.

Thank you for always being my mother. I know that I could be a challenge a lot of the time, but you never broke my spirit. Where other mothers would have failed or broken my spirit or made me feel like too much, you did not. You always told me to never think I am too much or that my personality was too much.

You always told me that someone would come along and only those who truly understood me would not think I am too much or too little. You always knew what I needed to hear and I appreciate that more than you know. Thank you for always being who you are, for teaching Abbi and I everything you know, and for always letting us know that we should never be ashamed of anything. Thank you for teaching us to be strong independent women, and most importantly, for always bringing a smile into our home and to our faces.

Love you forever and always,

Your loving daughter