I want to start off by saying I know you were joking about me writing about you, but I realized that I have some things I need to say.

I met your son a little over a year ago when he traveled on a bus for hours just so he could meet me in person. I can't imagine how worried you must've been. At the time, I was seventeen, and he was twenty. I didn't know how things would go, and I didn't know if you would approve of us being together, but I knew God had sent me an angel to mend the broken heart I'd been nursing for ten months before. Somehow, even back then, I knew your son would be the puzzle piece I didn't know I would ever find.

I was nervous, because you didn't know me. I was nervous when I finally met you, too. I wasn't sure how much you knew about me, what to expect, or how you'd feel. I remember hearing your voice for the first time when you recognized me, and when you came and gave me a hug, I knew in my heart that I never had to worry.

I didn't know what to expect when I landed here in Pittsburgh the day before New Years Eve. I knew one thing for sure; I was excited to spend more time with you and Tommy, and I still am. I remember being so tired that I thought you said Trump when you asked me if I liked shrimp, and searching for rocks in Walmart(something we still laugh about.) When I think of all the things you've done for me, the only way I can sum up how I feel is by saying thank you. Thank you for laughing with me. Thank you for accepting who I am, with all of the craziness, silliness, messiness, and sometimes even shyness that comes along with it. Thank you for getting snacks I like, and for wanting to make this visit the best it can be for me. Thank you for putting up with my terrible attempts to play the newly tuned piano downstairs and my music blaring in the bathroom. Thank you for putting up with my forty-minute showers which I can only hope aren't running up your water bill.

I've only been here a few days, but I already have memories that I love and I hope I will always remember. I loved meeting Zoey. I loved singing along to every song with you as you prepared food for New Years Eve. I loved opening presents with you and being so happy that you loved your gift. I loved ringing a big cowbell outside to bring in the New Year with you, Tommy, and some of your family, feeling like I had no care in the world. I loved shopping with you, trying on dresses and picking out candles together.

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting here on the couch in front of the coffee table lit with candles, and you're making rice and beans(you know it's what I'm used to, and that touches my heart). It's hard for me to keep my composure. I'm pouring out my heart in these words, and all I want to do is give you a huge hug, cry happy tears, or both. I don't want to think about when I have to go, and I know now that I love your son, and I love you, too. All I can do is smile and enjoy every moment.

Tommy wouldn't be the man he is without the wonderful woman who raised him. Thank you for teaching him right from wrong, to be chivalrous, to be himself. Thank you for showing him how to love, to laugh, and to work hard and have fun. Thank you for giving me a chance, and welcoming me into your home with open arms. I don't know what the future holds, but if there's one thing I'll fight for, it's to be the one to have Tommy's heart for the rest of his life, and to be a part of the family I feel that I can now call my own.