Dear Mom,

Any woman can be a mother, but it takes someone very special to be a mom. I am very lucky to have you not only as a mother who carried me for nine months, but also as my mom who has carried me all my life. You carried me as you cooked, you carried me as you cleaned, you learned to hold me as you ate; you even held me while I slept because sometimes that was the only way you could. Your arms would tire, your back would ache, but you still held me at times long and often because I needed you to. Although my need to be physically carried decreased as I've grown, you continue to carry me mentally and emotionally every day of my life.

Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs you have ever had to do, and even though I may not understand it fully, I know you are the best. You try, you fail, you laugh, you cry, you get pushed to your limits, and learn from your mistakes just like me. I know we have had our hardships and will have many more, but I know that the good times we share infinitely outweigh the not-so-good. I know that you are hardest on yourself when it comes to me because you want to be the perfect mom and nothing less. The truth is there is no such thing as a perfect mom and that's okay, because I don't want the perfect mom. I want you, because I know that you are doing the best you know how to do.

You go without food, you go without showers, and many times you go without sleep trying to put my needs before your own. At the time I didn't see that you wanted the last piece of chocolate cake just as much as I did, so I ate it and you let me. You let me eat the last piece of chocolate cake, because you knew by me being happy that you would also be happier than any piece of cake could make you.

Although we don't always see things in the same way, I know that deep down you love and accept everything that I am, that my happiness means more to you than anything. My joy is your joy, and my pain is your pain. You have shown me how to be my own person and have allowed my to make my own decisions, even though I may not always make the best ones.

Many places I will go and many people I will meet; I know that if I fall you will always bring me back to my feet. Someday I will find the strength to go anywhere and do anything because you have given me the tools I need to grow. It's a big world out there, and I am a small person in it. Although I am scared to enter it, you have shown me how to have confidence and grace in everything I do. You are the strongest, most beautiful woman I know; I love you more than words can say and I am proud to call you my mom.

Love,

Your Daughter