Mom, you have and always will be my very best friend.

From the day I was born, you always had my back. When I fell down, you picked me up and encouraged me to keep going. When I woke up from a bad dream, crying in the middle of the night, you were the one I went to for comfort. Over the years, I have not stopped coming to you for the same support.

No, our relationship has not always been the strongest, but what teenager gets along perfectly with their parents? I thought I had all the answers in the universe. Yet when I made a mistake, you never said, "I told you so." You helped me learn from my mistakes and to become a better person. You shaped me into the young woman I am today. The countless phone calls you have sat through just to tell me (for the hundredth time) that everything is going to be okay, mean the world to me. Without your constant reminders that there is a bigger reason for my existence, I would not be as sane as I am right now.

You taught me to love when it seemed impossible, forgive others even when it seemed like my heart could not be mended, and to not care about what others thought about me. To this very day, I still need those reminders. I still need the love and support from my mom. Agatha Christie, a wise novelist, once said, "A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path."

No matter how old I get, or how much I try to deny the fact that I don't need help, I will always go to my mom for help. A simple text, phone call, of FaceTime does more for me in ten minutes than anyone could do for me in a lifetime.

As I grow older, I am starting to realize just how important spending time and talking with my mom is. There will come a day when I no longer live under the same roof or cannot simply drive down the street to embrace her warm and welcoming hugs. Every chance I get to spend time with her is precious and will never be taken advantage of.

Mom, you have and always will be my very best friend. You continue to support me when I make mistakes and cheer me on during times of great success and I could never thank you for the endless love you have provided me. I love you to the moon and back.