Dear Mom,

Thank you.

Thank you for changing my diapers and holding my hand as I crossed the street.

Thank you for tying my shoes and teaching me the alphabet song.

For cleaning scraped knees and my room.

For fixing broken toys and broken hearts.

I remember in seventh grade when the girls wouldn’t let me join, you were my friend.

In high school when I felt alone, you were there.

It’s almost 20 years later and you’re still taking care of me, still showing me the way.

You may be my mom, but you're also my best friend.

You’re the biggest inspiration in my life. You went back to school and changed your career. You decided you wanted to help people. You became a nurse and the world’s best mom. I know you care a lot more than you show.

You’re the toughest person I know, not because of a hard exterior -- in spite of that. Because you’re sensitive and loving, tentative and maternal but also extremely kick-ass. You have a sharp attitude and an “I don’t take shit from anyone” aura, along with a killer resting bitch face (thanks for passing that one down).

All of this is wrapped into one universe of a beautiful and brilliant woman.

You may be my mom, but you’re so much more than that. When a stranger looks at you, they see a beautiful woman in scrubs. But when I look at you, I see the person who made life able to live, who gave me the resources to live and create my life with your unwavering support, a mother, a nurse, a fighter, someone who doesn’t get my jokes and hates my politics, a woman who has saved lives and changed them too. You’re someone who drops everything to take care of another person, taking the responsibilities no one else wants because you know it’s the right thing to do. You never let another person slip through the cracks, you speak up and you are heard. You created a voice for yourself and you fight for yourself. You’re more than just a mom to me.

You’re the strongest woman I know. The most important woman I look up to.

You are not just a mother to me. You are an extraordinary being with a main character attitude and a full story. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life.

I know I don’t say it much, I’m not very good at voicing gooey things (guess where I got that from), and you’re not always so good at hearing them (where’d you get that from?) but having you as my best friend is the greatest blessing in my life.

Thank you for being a Mom.

Happy Mother’s Women Who Kick Ass Day.