Where do I even begin?

Thank you for my life, my first and middle name, and 50 percent of my DNA.

Thank you for the childhood memories.

Thank you for signing me up for kiddie soccer, t-ball, rec basketball, etc. (against my will or not). They taught me endless skills, like teamwork, commitment and ambition, that were essential in order for me to get to where I am today.

Thank you for driving me to and from practices, games and play dates. Thank you for coordinating play dates and carpools with friends that I still have to this day.

Thank you for coaching me and my teams. Looking back I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to control 12 or more 6-year-old girls with hand-eye coordination and attention spans still in progress. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for being early to all my games because it always meant a lot to look up and see your face in the crowd. Thank you for criticizing my performance the whole way home and then practicing with me outside so I wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for letting my 5-year-old self crawl in your bed at night when I got scared.

Thank you for the simple things: making my bed, doing my laundry, helping me with homework, taking off work when I was sick, buying all the food I write on the grocery list and much more.

Thank you for the memorable vacations, Halloween costumes and birthday parties. And thank you for taking pictures of it all.

Thank you for always being the best role model you could be for me. Thank you for yelling at me when I did something wrong and for celebrating with me when I did something right.

Thank you for not turning me into a spoiled brat and for making me work for the things I want.

Thank you for dealing with the sibling feuds on a daily basis in the best way you knew how. I was mad at you then, but I quickly came to realize it's always the middle child who gets in trouble, so it's not 100 percent your fault.

Thank you for the teenage memories.

Thank you for watching me grow up and transition from middle school to high school. Thank you for letting me make my own decisions. Thank you for the space.

Thank you for the seemingly annoying things at the time: the constant checking of my grades, the curfews, the "idk ask your father," etc.

Thank you for making me get a job so that I'm prepared for the real world. Thank you for teaching me independence.

Thank you for being there through all the games, ceremonies, proms, graduations, etc., because I couldn't have gotten through any of them without you.

Thank you for enrolling me in a college I absolutely love and for preparing me for the endless opportunities coming my way. Thank you for letting me go.

Thank you for only being a phone call away and for the daily texts I sometimes disregard (sorry).

Thank you for having the motherly instinct of knowing just exactly when I need you, or those pictures of our family pup.

Thank you for just being there. In silence, chaos, daylight or darkness, I know I can always count on you.

Thank you for the stupid things like being a listening ear to my drama you don't care about.

Thank you for giving me your sense of humor and sarcasm; it's gotten me this far.

Thank you for never letting me forget I'm exactly like you in every way, shape and form.

Thank you for loving me, all of me. My bad habits, flaws, occasional back talk and rebellion.

I love you, and I appreciate you. Happy Mother's Day!

Sincerely,

Your (afterreading this) now favorite daughter