Mom,

All my life you've been right there by my side. You carried me for nine months, gave me life, and helped raise me into the woman I am today. You've always been there for me through everything, even when I (thought) I didn't want you there. No matter what I've been through, where I've gone, or what I've done, you have always been my rock— my constant. You have loved me and supported me unconditionally throughout the years and for that, I can't thank you enough. There are a million things I could and should thank you for, but for the sake of time, I'll just list the most important ones.

1. You brought me into this world

Yes, Dad helped with this one, but who really did the hard work carrying me for a few months shy of an entire year? Thank you for being committed to giving birth to and raising a child, otherwise, I would not be here.

2. You dedicated your life to me

Once I was finally a part of this world, you went to the ends of the earth to take care of me and make sure I had the best life I could have. You made sacrifices and gave up things you loved in order to give me a better life, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

3. You helped me to understand the world around me

From the ever so innocent, "why is the sky blue?" questions to the "when do I get to grow boobs?" questions, you did your best to answer every single question I had about the world we live in and the changes I was going through over the years. You helped me understand, you gave me knowledge, and you encouraged me to continue to question things that I didn't quite understand, which has helped me a lot in recent years--challenging "facts" and allowing my curiosity to fuel the fire that helped me to learn new things.

4. You allowed me to make my own mistakes

You knew all the right things to say, you knew what was best for me, and you knew what would happen if I did some of the things I had planned on, but you allowed me to make those stupid choices anyway because you also knew the only way I would learn to grow was to experience it on my own. Learning from my own mistakes was really challenging and I often wished you had just steered me along the right path, but after a while, I began to see that there was a method to your madness and that I was becoming a stronger person because of it.

5. You understand what I'm going through

Whether it be similar life experiences that we're going through or that you've already been through, or medical issues that I inherited from you, you always seem to understand what's going on with me and can help give me a little more insight.

6. You taught me that it's okay to be goofy

You have (and still) do some really odd things and that has definitely helped me not to take life so seriously, to live in the moment, and not be such a sour-puss. I love that you embrace life and you aren't afraid to be yourself--that is one of the traits that I will always be happy to have gotten from you.

7. You made me a better person

You always encouraged me to do my best, try my hardest, and never give up no matter how badly I wanted to. Because of you, I have grown into a reliable, hard working, self motivated individual who knows her worth and knows that giving up is not an option (unless it affects my physical or mental health) and that I will always be better for sticking with something and powering through tough times.

These several points don't even scratch the surface of all you have done for me but these are what I am most grateful for. You have gone above and beyond anything I could have imagined in a mother and I don't tell you often enough how much I appreciate you and all you have done for me. So thank you, Mom, for being there when no one else was, for teaching me so many things, and loving me unconditionally. I couldn't even begin to imagine what my life would have been or would be like without you there to guide me.