You have been my rock my entire life. You have been my role model, my cheerleader, my hero, and my best friend, and I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to tell you enough times how thankful I am for everything you have done for me and how much I love you.
As I have gotten older, my appreciation and admiration towards you has continued to grow. I realize each day how much of an impact you have had (and will ALWAYS have) on my life and I know that there are plenty of times where I should have said “thank you” more, and rolled my eyes less. I am thankful that I can look back at every moment in my life and know that even when there were times that it didn’t seem like it (like when I was screaming, “BUT MOM, MY FRIENDS ARE!” at you), you always had my best interest in mind.
You always encouraged me to work my hardest, to treat people with kindness, and to be the best person I could be, among hundreds of other things, and I’d like to say that the reason I have succeeded in all of those things, is because I had such a perfect example of what that looked like. It was you.
You have always believed in us and encouraged us to do whatever makes us happy and I will never be able to explain how much your support means to me. From driving me to and from voice lessons and rehearsals, coming to hear me sing no matter how close or far I was performing, dropping off warm meals in the middle of grueling rehearsals, running lines with me and giving me feedback on my performance songs, talking me down from my mental breakdowns, and let’s be honest, spending SO MUCH MONEY on lessons, costumes and shoes, medicine, performance tickets and gas. Without all of that, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I feel that in the last few weeks, that statement rings even truer. Between being overwhelmed with school work and rehearsals, combatting post-break homesickness, and being sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis, the only thing that got me through the day was knowing that I had you to talk me down at the end of it.
I don’t know a lot of people whose parents would let them come home for only 24 hours, and I think I know even fewer whose parents would let them miss the bus and choose to drive 3 hours so they could have one more night in their bed.
I know that I don’t say it nearly as much as I should, but thank you. Thank you for always standing, unwavering and strong, at my back no matter the circumstances.
I know that I would not be the woman I am today, if I hadn’t had such a strong and present mother.
I love you with all of my heart.
Thank you.
