Dear Mom,

This is for you.

I remember being very young and thinking that I was so lucky. I had the prettiest, smartest mother in the whole world. Little did I know, there was so much more to you than just that.

You are strong, hardworking, resilient, kind, selfless…I could go on for hours. Strangely enough, what I noticed is that, although I have felt this way about you and have told many other people about you, I have never told these things to the person who may need to hear it most: you.

They say superheroes are fictional, but I am pretty sure I had one raise me. As I watched you always get me where I needed to go with everything and anything I could possibly need, while working multiple jobs at a time, I always wondered where you would hide your cape. Many people pity the child raised by only one parent, and I never understood that. Right in front of me, every day, was the glowing and determined energy of one of the strongest and most independent women to ever grace this planet. Can you name a better role model for a little girl?

Living with you showed me that not everything is easy, but anything is possible if you put in the right amount of effort and hold a tough mindset.

Everything you have done has helped shape me into the young woman I am today. The sacrifices, long hours, exhaustion, and challenges you have embraced my entire life do not go unnoticed. People always ask you how you do it, but you know that you never even considered a possibility where you wouldn’t. You never let me down and I honestly do not know where I would be without you.

I am practically an adult now — well, at least on my way there. I am healthy, with a good head on my shoulders, and only a few years away from reaching my dreams. But even as I grow older and your parenting is not as heavily needed, know that you hold so many other important roles in my life. Mother. Teacher. Hero. Partner in Crime. And then there is my favorite: Best Friend.

Thank you for everything. I know I say it a lot, but I still do not believe it is said enough. Thank you for everything. Everything here means “a good life,” and because of you, Mom, I am living it.