To the woman who taught me how to love myself,

I can never thank you enough.

I will never be able to thank you for all of the times that you were patient with me in stores that I was embarrassed to be in for my age. Thank you for all of the times you held me while I cried that no one would ever love me. Thank you for reassuring me that I was beautiful and worthy of love when the tears subsided and I could breathe again. Without your parenting, I would not be able to stand in a mirror and tell myself that I am worthy of love. I would still stare into the full length mirror in your dressing room, staring at my belly and my thighs, and crying that I did not deserve to be valued or loved.

Thank you for not supporting the crash diets I put myself on to try and meet an ideal that is, logically, unattainable. I'll forever be grateful to you for not allowing me to fall into a downward spiral for the way that I perceived myself. The constant measuring, weighing, and pinching of my body brought my mental stability down so far. Eating 500 calories a day and walking for hours did nothing but hurt me and make me sick; you not allowing me to do this to myself I truly believe saved my life. Without you, I would have continued on this downward hill, constantly trying to lose just five more pounds and one more jean size.

Thank you for showing me how to dress my body. I would still be trying to shove myself into clothes from stores that did not sell my size rather than learning how to make clothing that was my size work. You showed me what looked good on me and that, as a plus size woman, I am not obligated to wear ill-fitting jeans and oversized sweatshirts every day. You taught me that having a body that society would deem "unacceptable" is still a beautiful thing.

Thank you for teaching me that it is not all about what other people think. You are allowed to be happy with the way that you look and the way that you present yourself; you are not obligated to fit into a certain ideal, and being yourself and looking the way that you do is enough.

I am who I am because of you. You're my favorite woman in the entire world and the reason that I can confidently step out of my house every day. You are the most beautiful person that I have ever known and I will always be your little girl.

So again, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do every day. I can only hope to be half the strong and beautiful woman that you are someday.

I love you, mom -

Annie Catherine