Dear Mom,

It is impossible to put into words everything I appreciate about you. From who you are as a person, to the person you raised me to be; everything about you is amazing. First of all, thank you for never giving up--on our family or on me. From day one you have been my support system and my greatest fan. Thank you for helping me out while I was doing Drama Club in high school all four years. Thank you for cheering me on even when I was nominated for a lot of Halo Awards. Thank you for the thousands and thousands of dollars you spent on my education as an upcoming professional actor and performer.

Thank you for taking me to church once a month (when I was little). Thank you for the two most wonderful gifts you'll ever give me--my siblings and your support. Thank you for teaching me to be independent. Thank you for letting me find out on my own that the popular boy I was trying to be growing up was no good for me. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on when I finally realized it. Thank you for waiting up for me to get home at night. Thank you for keeping my secrets. Thank you for singing to me as a child.

Thank you for teaching me that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for being my role model. Because of you I know the kind of father and teacher I want to be. Thank you for taking me to a summer theatre program at the Seven Angels Theatre every summer (since I was 8). Thank you for pretending to care about my drama just because you knew I needed to vent. Thank you for actually caring when I had a problem and needed advice. Thank you for all the traits you passed down to me. Not the physical ones, since I look nothing like you, but everything else. Thank you for your intelligence, sense of humor, weirdness, strength, empathy, love, and faith. Thank you for teaching me right from wrong. Thank you for disciplining me to become a stronger individual, especially in the world and society we live in today. Thank you for always making me stick to my word. Thank you for being the glue that holds our family together. Thank you for always putting our needs before your own. Thank you for waking up early to fix me breakfast for ten years. Thank you for all the little, subtle ways you let me know I was loved.

Thank you for supporting my decision to move away to New York City for college, and thank you for supporting my decision to do my last two years in Los Angeles. Thank you for always letting me come home, even if it's just for the night. Thank you for accepting how weird and silly I can be. Thank you for all the laughs you have given me, especially the ones that bring tears to our eyes. Thank you, also, for all the tears. The hard times are what made us closer than ever. Above all, thank you for finding the perfect balance of mother and friend. So many people go through life with a mom who is constantly trying to be a friend and not a mother. So many more have a mom who is strictly an authority figure to them and nothing more. I have been blessed to have the best of both worlds.

Others have either lost their mom when they were young or they don't have one at all. I know that sometimes I don't stay in touch with you every day and tell you specifically what's been going on because of how busy school is (especially when it's all in the performing arts department), but out of everyone that I know on this planet, YOU are the one I'm mostly thankful for, and just because I shift my focuses every now and then doesn't mean that I've stopped caring about the people I love (and you're definitely one of them). You know I'll never stop! Also, I know that as I get older, we become even better friends one way or another, but I know you will also always be my momma. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I love you so much and unconditionally!

Love,

Your Biggest Fan & Your Son...Robert! <3

PS: If this letter isn't enough to show how lucky I am to have you in my life, here's a song for you that I have found!