"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what."

When I was a month old my biological father left my mom and me behind never looking back. After he left my mom and I were on our own, she wasn't looking for anyone at all. Until the day she ran into the best man in the world at my daycare when I was two years old.

My mom was dropping me off and he was doing the same with his two children from his previous marriage. They had known each other in high school and had a couple of mutual friends. When he called mom to ask her on a date she told him one thing about her that would never change is that she had a biracial child and he had to either take both of us or leave us.

He took the gamble and took us both! Here we are seventeen years after they reconnected. I am getting ready to leave them for my junior year of college wanting nothing more but to thank them for staying in my life.

Mom,

First of all I want to say thank you for keeping me, I could not imagine a life with another woman as my mom. You are me and I am you. I am so proud to call you my mom and be able to share the bond that we have been able to create over the past 20 years, especially the two years we had together when it was us. Nothing compares to the love and the bond of a mother and daughter like we have.

Thank you for sacrificing more than I'll ever know and going through all of the single parent hardships you went through until I was around 3 years old. It takes a lot of love and compassion to put another person first and you have always done that for me since the day you found out I was in your stomach. You have always made sure I knew you loved me more than your next breath. You always make sure I know you would never change a single thing when it comes to me and who I am and how I got here.

No words can truly express how grateful I am to have a female role model like you in my life; someone so strong, independent, reliable, caring, loving and motherly. I hope I can be half the mother you are to me, to my kids one day.

Dad,

I want to start by saying thank you, thank you for walking into my life when you did. Thank you for marrying my mom and making her the happiest woman in the world, thank you for welcoming me into your family as one of your own children from day one. Most importantly thank you for staying. I have never once since I was two years old ever wondered or feared that you would walk away and leave us behind.

I can never thank you enough for all that you have done for me and all the love you have shown me throughout the years. It takes a lot to raise another man's child as your own, but you didn't see me as anything but your daughter. You have always made sure I knew that I was just as much as your child as my then step-siblings. The most important thank you I want to say, is for proving just how much I meant to you; when you adopted me and legally changed my last name I have never felt more wanted and love as I did then. I now have a last name that carries so much meaning to me and is the same as my brother, sisters, mom and you.

Since the day you came into my life you have always taken care of me and had my best interest in mind. I hope when I meet the man I am going to marry, he is at least half the man you are.

You both have shown me the ways of unconditional love and adoration every child should know, feel and have. You both have always made sure that I have never gone without. Whether it was buying me school uniforms, making chicken Alfredo, because it's my favorite, or making sure I have the best soccer cleats possible. I am so blessed that you two chose to stay in my life forever, I am a better person because of your guidance. There are no words I can ever say to thank you for staying, but I hope this shows at least a portion of what all of your love and guidance has meant to me.

With love always,

Your adoring, grateful, appreciative child