Growing up my mom was the woman who would brush the tangles out of my hair, fix the holes in my clothes, take care of me when I was sick, and wipe the many tears that were shed. I always knew that whatever time of day my mom would be there for me, considering that for the first half of my life she spent her nights scaring away the monsters and letting me kick her in the side as I found myself sleeping in my parents bed most nights. My mom was the one who taught me to tie a pony tail in my hair, make homemade cookies, and most importantly she taught me how to be strong with my head held high. Now with all of this being said my mom sounds pretty much like superwoman, which is not far from true.

Now like any typical teenage daughter I gave my mom a run for her money. I would pick fights, break rules, and disagree with every word that left her mouth. I used to think that my relationship with my mom would soon prove to be nonexistent, for I thought she did not understand what I was going through, little did I know she was just challenging me. After my first year of high school my mental health began to severely deteriorate and I found myself relying on medication and bouncing from appointment to appointment. This whole time I thought my mother was angry with me and did not understand what was going on in my dark mind. I never realized, but she was there holding my hand through my whole journey, for she would creep downstairs to my room just to make sure I was still breathing, or listen to my completely illogical protests. During the rest of high school I spent more time disagreeing with what my mom wanted from me and less time appreciating the woman that she is.

The day she dropped me off at college I thought that I would feel free and liberated from all of the barriers she had once set for me, but I found myself feeling nothing but hollow. I no longer have my mom to scare off the monsters, take care of me when I'm sick, or wipe my tears. My heart yearns to be close to her and my appreciation for her grows everyday I am away from her. If you check my phone you will notice that there is at least two outgoing calls daily to the contact "mom" and thousands of text messages where I hope to feel more complete. I have realized now that my mom is and forever will be my best friend. There is no possible way for me to explain to you or to her how thankful I am for everything she has done for me. So to my beautiful mother, I thank you for being on my side each and every time, wiping my tears, scaring away the monsters, sticking you neck out for me, and helping me become the woman I am today, I love you forever and always.