Dear Mom and Dad,

I am here. You dropped me off and now I am living totally on my own. I am at a beautiful university which is now home and I am going to start the next chapter of my story. Right now I am doing fine. I've been kept busy with all the excitement that is college; from attending socials and meeting tons of new people, to eating in the cafeteria for the first time. There hasn't been time for it to hit me that you're no longer here to make me lunch when I'm feeling lazy. But it will sink in, and when it hits it will be hard. So I want you to know what you mean to me.

First of all thank you for all of the little things that are actually really big things. Thank you for waking me up kindly with a kiss. Thank you for Saturday morning pancakes, making my bed and making my lunch. Thank you for picking me up from school, always having after school snacks, and helping me with my homework. Thank you for cooking dinner, tucking me in at night, and staying more on top of my life than I ever could. I never would have had a functional life without all these little daily things.

But also, thank you for the bigger things. Thank you for always believing in me and my abilities. There was never a hair of doubt in you that I would be successful in whatever I chose to do. Thank you for reminding me that I am someone special, not only to you but also to others and most importantly, to God. Thank you for imparting your wisdom onto me. You have been the greatest example of how dedication and hard work will get one so far in life. Thank you for attending every sporting event, every play, every award ceremony, and cheering my name the loudest. You've always been my number one fans. But I'm not always on top. Thank you for the shoulders to cry on and holding onto me with gentle guidance when I'm down. Thank you for teaching me to fight through the hard times and believe in God's plan for me. And most importantly, thank you for continually telling me that you love me. You showed me a love that is unconditional, just like God's. I only hope that as I start my next journey that I will be able to share that kind of love on others, especially my future children. I hope that one day I can be half the parent you are.

I can confidently say that I am ready. You have taken this seed and sprouted her up from the ground and she is ready to be something beautiful. I know there will be hard times, there always will be in life. But just like Jesus said in the book of John, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 ESV). You have let me go but I am still in the hands of God, and He has a plan to make me beautiful.

Thank you for starting that plan off on the right foot. I am blessed beyond all measure.

Love always.