I am incredibly blessed and among my greatest blessings was you, Mom.

Please hear and believe me when I say this: when asked who I admire most and who I want to be when I grow up, my answer is you. When you hear the word job, what are the images that come to your mind?

-A Police Officer

-A Doctor

-A lawyer

-An Accountant

I am here to tell you that the greatest, most difficult and often unappreciated job is that of a parent. Now, for a single parent, in my case a single mother. take that and magnify it by ten. Now that I'm older and debatably wiser, I now see that what you did wasn't normal and it proves you're not human. You're superhuman, you're my super(MOM). Looking back, I cannot think of a time when you didn't work at least two jobs.

There are times when we're on FaceTime now, where you are leaving one job just to go to another. Some are blessed to work from 9am-5pm, but I know your hours go far beyond that. Even now, at almost twenty-five years old, there have been times after I've gone to bed when, that you've come in to check on me while I was sleeping. Those nights when the pain was too much to bare, I walked or crawled into your bedroom. After a mere touch of your foot, the gentle calling out of "Mommy" you wake ready to chase away my monsters and love me through the pain.

I have to wonder, in twenty-five years, how much sleep have you lost for me? How many sacrifices did you make because you had to work to provide? How did you manage to keep it together when you left work, to come to a riding lesson, just to return to work. Hours later, you picked me up from school, clothes in the car, taking me to a Girl's Guide meeting. Don't even get me started on the Math homework. Math was and is still way beyond my comprehension. I know there were times that it frustrated you that despite your best efforts, sometimes it just didn't click. Nevertheless, you rose from the table, took a few deep breaths and sat back down ready to try again.

Language, how to walk, how to tie my shoes. These and a million other things I learned from you throughout my childhood. I hope you know though, the greatest lessons you taught me were in: love, selflessness, courage and strength. When you love someone unconditionally and without compare, their needs often come before yours. For all of the sleep you lost, the tears you cried and moments when you didn't feel you were enough, I am sorry! Thank you for having the courage to take care of the Special Needs that came with me- without the support of a partner to share your burdens and fears with. Lastly, thank you for showing me what true strength is. It's not perfection. It isn't always having it together. It isn't having it easy. Strength, true strength, is crying, picking your head up and suiting up for the fights of our lives with a smile that reassured me through it all.

Heads Up Mom" sounds like a useful resource for parents to learn more about parenting and connect with other parents. It's great to have access to information and support as a parent, as raising children can be a rewarding but challenging experience. If you have any specific questions or topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to help.