The beginning of this school year was one of the hardest. Being away from home for another 9 months from one of the most important women in my life breaks my heart. I knew this year would be the hardest one to be away from my mother. Over the summer, my mother and I spent a lot of time together. We did errands together, we took trips together, she drove me to work every morning and then some. I continued to closer to my mom and it made me so happy.

Being away from my mom for a whole month has been hard. School is harder than last year, but that is a given. I have new friends, which makes it hard to adjust to new schedules, new faces and learning all the ins and outs of my good friends. I often find myself at the end of the day, missing my mother the most because I knew I could come to her about anything when it comes to school, friends or the world.

My mother means the world to me. She is someone I always look toward for inspiration. She constantly motivates me, makes me smile, and helps me stay sane. Being able to just have someone who is so strong and motivational in my life makes me feel blessed to have such an amazing mother. I feel like being away from her makes things a little harder, but when I come back to her, I feel like things come back together and it's like the world doesn't move so quickly.

Without her hard work, I wouldn't be half the person I am today. I inherited all her great characteristics and she's shown me how to be amazing and to enhance every skill. I've grown to be a positive person, to be able to smile even when things get a little hard. She taught me that my voice can and is my strongest weapon when it comes to battle. But most of all, she taught me how to have a big heart for everyone in the world. Everyone has a story and my mother helped me write mine.