Ever since I was very young, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has told me how much I resemble my mom. Whenever we both walked into a room, people would automatically know that we definitely had to be related, and would even say that I was an exact replica of her.
She's even told me countless of times herself that I must blind to not see our similarities, which is basically to a point that we could pass as sisters, or even twins. And even to this day, I sometimes still can't even see it.
There's no doubt that my mom and I have become inseparable and even best friends.
We've shared amazing memories together, from going on vacations and trips together all over the world, to spending Monday nights on the couch watching "The Bachelor" and gossiping about who we thought wouldn't get a rose and make it to the next round.
She loves hearing about my college experiences and stories, and is always willing to being open and trying new food trends with me. We've spent so much time together that we often sometimes are thinking the exact same thing or can finish the other person's sentence. So even though one might say we're twins due to how tied at the hip we are, I don't see how I resemble the pure amazingness that she truly is.
Yes, we might have the same eyes or the same facial structures, which has already taken me so long to admit. But I am nowhere close to how awesome and inspiring my mom is.
From shadowing her over the past 19 years, I've learned so much about this amazing woman. She works endless hours to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied, which sometimes means sacrificing her own time to make this possible.
Positivity is always radiating from her aura, where she holds the mindset that she can achieve anything if she believes she can. It's also clearly evident about how driven she is about her work, where she makes it her goal to follow her passion and pursue what she loves doing, even if it might not bring her instant success.
My mom has become my role model, because she is the most dedicated and loving person I know.
She leads her life with a positive smile, and makes every day the best it can be for her and everyone around her. I know that if I ever need guidance or help, she will be there for me in a second.
And whenever she doesn't see all of these amazing qualities about herself, it hurts me inside knowing that she's not aware of how big of a difference she's made to me and many others in her life.
Even in her moments of weakness, I still see her as the strongest woman I know. Like anyone else, she has experienced many challenging and difficult moments in her life, where it would've been easy for anyone else to give up and walk away.
But even if she doesn't recognize how strong she truly is, I have seen her time after time instantly get back up on her feet and find a solution on how to work through the pain, and most importantly, accept it as a way to move forward.
She uses the scars of her past as a way to show everyone that she is unstoppable and determined to keep living her life the way she wants to, by pursuing her passions and surrounding herself with positivity and the people she loves.
And even if accepting her hardships might be challenging and something she still sometimes struggles with internally, she still pushes through each day with a smile and an optimistic outlook.
Shadowing her for 19 years has made me wish that I could be my mom's twin, even though I didn't want to admit it when I was a young and stubborn kid. I might easily resemble her in physical attributes, but there is no way I am as strong as she manages to be.
One day, I can follow in her footsteps and lead my life with the same principles and strengths that I have witnessed her do on a day to day basis from the countless hours that I've spent with her.
So here's to my best friend, my twin, the strongest and most beautiful person I know, the kindest soul, and the most loving mother that I sometimes don't even deserve. Thank you for teaching me everything you have so far, and for inspiring me to be the strongest and greatest version of myself, even though I might not believe in myself due to my own challenges.
Hopefully I can apply everything that I've learned from you to my own life and be as amazing as you are.
