Dear mom,

I may not have told you this, but you remember the time that I lied to you and you did not talk to me for like 3 weeks? I was probably the most distraught middle schooler in the whole world. Then there was the time that you almost kicked me out of the house because I lied to you again. I thought that you were going to abandon me forever. Remember the time you told me to be more serious when I played volleyball at the church? I did not understand why I needed to be serious when everyone else playing was not. Then there was the time that you punished us because you found a bowl of cereal milk underneath your bed. Man, we were down in the dumps because of that. Remember the Saturday mornings that you never let us sleep in? I was always grumpy when I reluctantly visited the restroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I remember when you made us go outside to get extra repetitions for volleyball. I never truly wanted to do it on my own. These moments were very sour in my mouth when I was younger. I never understood the methods to your madness.

Now that I am older I think I now understand...The time that you did not talk to me for a couple weeks, you taught me to be true to others around me. I learned that trust and loyalty are virtues of a respectable woman. The time that you almost kicked me out, I learned that you would always be with me, regardless of the circumstance. The times that you told me to be serious, even when others were not, taught me that I must dare to be different and to strive to be great no matter what. The weekend times that you woke us up to do chores and work out early in the morning have taught me that time is precious and needs not to be wasted. The time that we would go out and get extra repetitions taught me to go the extra mile in order to achieve success. And well the memory with the bowl of cereal milk... well besides learning that bowls of milk do not belong under the bed, I learned to keep everything in order.

There are many lessons that you have taught me in my 21 years of life. No words can express my gratitude for you and the examples that you set. You have made the hallmark moments in my life extremely special and memorable. You never failed to miss a match and you made it a priority to always show up, especially if it was just you. You have taught me how to be spiritually grounded and how to love my neighbors. You have shown me examples of strength when times get rough and charity when others are in need. You have taught me to do things the right way, but at the same time you have allowed me to fall so that I can learn from my mistakes.

Thanks to you, I believe I am super woman. Thanks to you, I continue to grow and strive to excel in every aspect of my life. Thank you for giving me life and for putting the world in to my hands. For all of these things and more, I am forever grateful.

Happy mothers day!