Because sometimes we need someone to show us that you can conquer the world, while at the same time have the family we want.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for loving me endlessly and for reading me stories at bedtime. Thank you for taking me on trips to experience new things and for helping me to pick out the new clothes that I didn’t need but felt I had to have. Thank you for being the coolest chaperone on school field trips and for booking the absolute best summer camps and summer plans! I am so thankful for all of this and so much more. So much more than I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. You have helped me grow into a strong and independent woman and when I am a mom (a long time from now) I can only hope to be half the person you are and give my child just have of the love, experiences, and help that you gave me.

While I am thankful for all that you did for me, the most important thing you have done for me is something completely different. This was not being with me for trips or being with me for bedtime stories or being with me for anything, really. The most important thing that you have done for me is not be there. You were there at the important times like kindergarten graduation, new school meetings, first day of school meet and greets, and so much more. You were there at the unimportant times when I wanted and needed you to be there for me, like the fun girl trips we took, the drives to and from San Francisco, college “shopping,” and so much more! You have been with me through every up and down, every challenge and experience. You have rescued me from camps. You have given me the world, even when I didn’t deserve it. You stood by me when I chose my college. You stood by me when I was in the hospital. You stood by me in my darkest and scariest times. You stood by me in my happiest times. You stood by me when I picked up my first dog. You were there. And you are still there, every single day, whether I am at college or home.

And yet, while you seemed to always be there when I needed you, you weren’t there. During the days, you were at work. You were showing me that it is possible to have a position of power as a woman. You showed me that hard work got results. You showed me that the time you put into something has a direct tie to the success of projects. You weren’t there because you were hard at work, making a difference in other people’s lives. You showed me that service and selflessness is a necessary for a full life. You showed me that money isn’t everything and that finding something you love to do is the most important thing in the world. For you, that thing that you love to do is be at work. And I couldn’t thank you enough for that. You spent the time I needed you with me and at the same time you showed me that you can have both the family and the job of your dreams.

So, Mom, thank you. Thank you for selflessly putting me before everything that you have done and are still doing. But most of all, thank you for showing me the happiness of having a job you love. Sure, I would have loved you being a stay at home mom, and stay at home moms do not have an easy job, but for me, I needed to see you at work, doing something you love and helping those that needed it. At times it may not have been easy, for either one of us, but in the end, it was worth it. And, as you always say, “It’s all good.”

Love,

Your baby girl.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Mommy!