Mom, this may not be a handmade card or a cute acronym like what I used to make when I was little, but I hope this will suffice as your Mother's Day gift.

I am writing this to thank you. You have made me into the woman I am today and I wouldn't be who I am without you.

You value my opinion, my voice. You make me feel important. You make me feel like I have a say in things. Whether you ask how you should handle something going on with my sister or how to spell a word you're typing up for work, you're valuing my opinion. You're not completely dismissing it which makes me feel like I matter.

You make me feel confident in myself. I'm at a stage in my life where I have never felt more happy with who I am, and I'd like to credit some of that to you. Not only this, but I'm also at a stage in my life where I have never felt more confused with who I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to become. Not knowing what I'm doing with my life haunts me, but the belief you have in me makes me feel like no matter what I choose to do, I will be okay and happy, and that means the world. Your confidence in me projects onto the confidence I have in myself, and I am so grateful for that.

You love me unconditionally. No matter what I do, you love me. No matter how angry I make you, you love me. No matter how many times you tell me to do the dishes and I forget, you love me. No matter how many times I refuse to do my laundry, you love me. Even throughout our head butting, you still love me and I still love you. There is nobody I butt heads with more in this world besides you, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

You are so selfless. You would go to the end of the world for me. You put me ahead of you. You make me your first priority and you may think that all of this goes unnoticed but believe me, it does not. I certainly do not say it as often as I should, but words simply cannot express how grateful to have a mother like you in my life. There are many people that don't have mothers they can call up after a long day and rant to. There are many people that don't have mothers at all. I'm lucky enough to have found my shoulder to cry on, my ears to listen to my complaints, and most importantly, my best friend, all in my own mother. We share a bond that I absolutely treasure, and I'm only looking forward to how much stronger our bond will get as I get older. If I can be half the mother you are to my future kids, if I can give them half as much love as you give me, I'll know that I'll be doing at least one thing right.

Thanks for raising me the way you did, mom. If you're asking me, I'll say you did one hell of a job.