Mom,

You are the strongest woman I know. From the day that you spent hours going through labor to give birth to me to today, you have shown all the strength and integrity that you have. I have never doubted you, never felt betrayed by you, and have always had a friend in you. You have shown me how lucky I am to have a mom like you every single day of my life.

You have been my best friend when I didn’t have any, my cheerleader when nobody else was cheering me on, and my teacher when I made mistakes.

You have shown me unconditional love throughout my life even when I wasn’t showing you the same. You have sacrificed your own needs to give me mine and would give me the shirt off your back if I needed it. I never went a day without food, heat, or a home because of the work you put in every day to help provide for me.

You made your life harder to make mine easier, and there aren’t enough words in the English language to thank you for that. There is no way to put it all together to show you how wonderful you really are, but if I ever had the chance to choose my mom and whatever life that comes with her I would choose you a thousand times over.

You deserve more than the world could give, and all the times that you have doubted yourself and felt like you weren’t being a good mom— you were still the best. I know that you have struggled a lot in your life, and you still turned out to be the most compassionate person. I have always (and always will) look up to you. I am forever grateful that you taught me the most valuable lessons in life. You taught me how to be humble, generous, and sympathetic. You taught me that my beauty, the clothes I wear, and the things I own would never define who I am as a person.

You have given me life and got me through it. You gave me a brother that I will have a friend in for the rest of my life (even if at some points it seemed we were close to killing each other). I know we aren’t always on the same page and we get on each other’s nerves, but I know that it doesn’t make you love me any less.

You have always been understanding regardless of the situation, and it has made me a better and more understanding person. If I am even half the woman that you are someday, I know that I will be successful. I am so grateful for you and everything you have done, and I wish that I could give you as much as you have given me. I don’t know how I got so fortunate to have a mom like you, but I am so thankful that I did. Thank you for being you.

I love you, Mom.