Dear Mom and Dad,

I want to begin by saying how much I look up to the two of you. You have shown me the meaning of respect, honesty, family, and most importantly, love. I will never be able to forget the countless hours you put in at softball fields, the millions of times you had to mediate fights between me and my brother (always sliding a life lesson in there), and the times you lifted up my spirits after someone had crushed them.

As a child, I can remember every life lesson you instilled in me. Of course I often took these for granted. Although I, entirely too frequently, would roll my eyes, stomp my feet, and slam my door when you tried to teach me a lesson, I learned more from you both than I ever could have imagined. You constantly made sure I was being the best I could be. And this goes for all aspects. Dad you always made sure I worked hard at softball to be the player you always believed in. You never accepted anything less than working as hard as possible in order to achieve your goals so in turn, you taught me how to make my dreams a reality. And Mom, you always told me how great you think I am when I got into fights with girls who I thought were my friends. You always knew when I was becoming friends with people who weren't actually friends at all. Because of that, you taught me who to allow into my life and who is worthy of my friendship and love. There was never a moment where I didn’t think I could count on you both.

As I got older, I realized how much I owe to you both for getting me where I am today. I have watched you both climb the ladder at different jobs and be the best you can be. I have seen you work harder than any two people I know to accomplish what you needed. Because of that, I am where I am as well. You always encouraged me to take classes I was interested in. You supported me when you knew I was making a bad decision just because you knew I could learn from it. And you never failed to acknowledge the people and things that you knew meant the most to me. Now that I am a senior in college with what seems like moments until graduation, I can reflect back on how grateful I am to have parents like you.

I don't think i could ever thank you guys enough for everything. Dad, thank you for picking me up when I was down, for showing me the meaning of hard work, and for being my biggest fan. Mom, thank you for wiping away my tears, for showing me the meaning of unconditional love, and for being my best friend.

Love,

Your Forever Thankful Daughter