Mom,

It sure has been a journey, hasn't it? I honestly don't know how you did it, how you raised and created a girl into a woman all on your own. I know that raising me on your own (especially at such a young age yourself) couldn't have been easy, but I still want to say thank you...

Thank you for being my best friend.

As many people growing up with a single mom may know, you develop this indescribably close bond with one another, a bond that not many people could possibly understand. Only having each other for such a long period of time makes you become closer and more attached to one another than many kids usually are. But this bond makes you become one and makes you both feed off of each other for strength and that is the most beautiful gift I could've ever been given by you.

Thank you for always being selfless.

Now that I am older I see all the things you did for me in order to have a good childhood. I know that lying is never right, but I am so thankful that you lied to me growing up about how much we had even though we had so little, and for always lying and making excuses for my dad when he would break his promises to come see me. No matter how much he hurt you, you always made him look so good and never talked him down (even if you wanted to) and that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen a woman do -- you put my feelings before your own and still desired for me to have a father figure, even if that required you lying for him and making him the Prince Charming that I deserved him to be in my head.

Thank you for teaching me that it's OK to not be OK.

I know that times were hard, and you didn't have the opportunity to go to college because you were too busy raising me on your own, but thank you for pushing through every single rough obstacle that we faced and showing me that it's OK to break down in your room and cry sometimes because you're so stressed out that you don't know what to do, but that in the end we knew no matter how hard times got that "God would not fail us now, cause He hasn't given up on us yet and He doesn't plan on it anytime soon."

Thank you for always putting God first in your life.

I know that you are not perfect, but that is the most beautiful thing about you. Regardless of your mistakes, you are always the first person to apologize and admit that you are wrong. You are such an amazing example of Christ. After everything life has thrown your way, you have yet to prevail, and you always rely on God to provide when we have absolutely nothing. Your faith and perseverance amazes me day in and day out. I can never thank you enough for giving me the most precious gift of our Lord and Savior, and for showing me that we are all human, but God is graceful, and just, and merciful.

Thank you for being forgiving.

I know that I am always testing your patience and that I have not been the easiest person to raise. I want to thank you for always forgiving me and no matter how many times I've broken your heart or done the stupidest things, you continue to believe in me and push me to be the best person that I can possibly be.

Thank you for never letting me give up.

We have been through some crazy things, and had some amazing adventures together but regardless of how much I wanted to quit, you'd never let me, and thank you for that. Thank you for FORCING me to try out for literally everything and for making me try new things whether I wanted to or not because over half of those things I still continue to do, and 100 percent of those things I fell in love with. Wow, who would've known that you know me so well.

Thank you for always being my #1 fan.

At all of my games as a little girl I would see all the girls sitting in their daddy's laps and being encouraged by their fathers. But you NEVER and I mean NEVER fell short of treating me just the same. Mom, I can honestly say you have never missed a beat and that is something I could never thank you enough for. No matter how big or how small you would drop work or anything you were doing to come and support me, and I never realized how important that was to me until I got older. But, you are the prime example of a supportive and encouraging mother. You may have embarrassed me a time or two or gotten in fights with a few refs, but you never fell short and I know that you never will.

Thank you for being my twin.

OK you and I both know that this is a curse and a blessing. But thank you for always letting me borrow your clothes and for always being the trendiest mom alive! Thank you for sharing my shopping, shoe, and coffee addiction. When I'm sad, thank you for always asking, "Will a new pair of shoes fix it?" because you know it always will. Even though people mistake us for sisters rather than mom and daughter, I am so thankful that you were young when you had me cause now we share literally everything! I know you get mad when I forget to ask to borrow something, and get so frustrated when you can't find your stuff, but hey at least I'm just a hallway down, right? And by the way, thank you for having an equally as weird laugh as me, so that way when we're in public and we both bust out laughing hysterically, I know that people are judging both of us and not just me.

Thank you for loving me.

I know that being both mom and dad couldn't have been even remotely easy, and I know that raising someone as stubborn and hard headed as me by yourself was a challenge each and every day. But mom, just know, that even though I may not say it enough, I am so thankful for you and the time you invested into me growing up. You are all of these things plus some, and I could go on forever and ever! But thank you for giving me the best life that you possibly could, and I think we turned out alright, and life turned out just the way it was meant to be for the both of us. SO THANK YOU!

I love you,

Your Daughter