Dear Mom,

I want to tell you how much I love and appreciate you. Being in college I get caught up in the craziness of my new life and sometimes I forget to show it as much as I should. I know I’m not around a lot now, but everything you do for me even when I’m not under your roof is extremely important to me. You’ve always been my hero, whether it be doing everything you can to help me, or encouraging me to get a job so I can get all the things I wanted in life. You’ve forever been the one person who has pushed me to succeed and go above and beyond with all that I do.

I really just need to say thank you. With everything you’ve done for me in the past 18 years, a thank you doesn’t even begin to express how much I adore you and what you do. Thank you for being my best friend, but for also being my mom. Thank you for giving me a shoulder to cry on when life got too hard and for giving me advice that I’ll always keep in the back of my mind when I need it the most. Thank you for doing what you could to make sure I attended whatever University felt the most like home to me. Thank you for the late night ice cream runs, the endless laughter, the words of wisdom, and for allowing me to know that no matter what happens in life; I need to stay true to myself and everything will follow.

Finally, I want to apologize for all the times I got my teenage mood swings and took it all out on you. I know all you ever did was have my best interest at heart, whether it be with a boy you didn’t think was right for me or how you really didn’t want me going to a party that night. You’ve always been the most understanding and reasonable person. I have taken that for granted sometimes. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to raise my sister and me on your own for the most part, but you’ve stood your ground and you’ve raised two girls who adore you more than you could ever imagine.

So Mom, thanks for being the beautiful woman that you are. It isn’t easy for anyone to raise two teenage girls on their own and still keep themselves grounded but you’ve done a wonderful job. And to all the other moms out there who do it on their own, here’s a shout out to you. It takes a noble and wonderful person to do what you’re doing.

I love you, Mom. To the moon and back again.