Thank you for the many times you have stepped up in my life. You cared for your own children while simultaneously caring for me. While I absolutely love my mom and everything she has done for me, I need to thank you for stepping up when she wasn’t around.

Thank you for the many times in high school when you fed me and played chauffeur before your daughter and I could drive. Thank you for coming to pick me up from my house just so I could have a sleepover or go to the mall with your daughter. You often bought us Starbucks, frozen yogurt, and Chinese food during our sleepovers.

Thank you for making your home my home. I could easily come to your house and walk in without a knock. I could raid your cupboards of food and often walk in to a home cooked meal where I was welcome. I could come over when no one was home or show up without your daughter and just hangout with the family. Thank you for welcoming me and giving me a second home.

Thank you for always watching out for me and literally caring for me as your own daughter. I will never forget the time I went in the ditch and needed a new tire. While my parents didn’t know of my homecoming, from 7 hours away, you bought me a new tire and told the tire store I was your daughter who needed help. You are truly a lifesaver.

Thank you most of all for your daughter. Thank you for raising my best friend to be a great person, a girl who cares well for others and has stuck by me for over 10 years. The girl who will one day be my bridesmaid and whom my kids will call “Aunt.” I am thankful to have someone who has stuck by me despite distance and the ups and downs of life.

Thank you for all you have done for me and I’m sure will continue to do. I appreciate your love, time, and of course money over the years. Thank you, 2^nd Mom.