Dear Mom,

There's so much I want to say to you that I don't even know where to begin. As your daughter, the daughter of a perfect mother, I'm not even sure how to attempt to put the words together to tell you what I want to tell you. But that's not going to keep me from trying my very best to explain the impact you have on my life.

First of all, I want you to know how thankful I am to be your daughter. Your life provides the perfect of example of the person, wife, and mother I want to be. To this day, I have never met a better person than you, Mom. As a wife, you have set the perfect example of how I should love and care for my husband. As a mother, you have taught me that a mother's love has no boundaries. Somehow, you found the perfect balance between a mother and a best friend. You showed me that as a wife, mother, and friend, I should always have a love like God's: a forgiving, never ending love.

Thank you for always encouraging me to dream big and make those dreams a reality. No matter what I have wanted to do, you always encouraged me to do it and to do it to the best of my ability. No matter what it was, you let me try it and you never let me quit. Every sport, hobby and club I wanted to be a part of, you were there to be my number one supporter. Not every daughter is blessed with a mother like you, who only wants the best for their child, and I couldn't be more grateful for the life you gave me.

You have taught me that living for God, while not the easiest road, will bring unthinkable rewards. You have taught me that when it comes down to the end of one's days on earth, that it will be how I lived for God that matters. It will be the love I showed others that matters. It will be the way I raised my children that matters. It will be the way I loved my husband that matters. It will be how I treated others that matters. It will be the memories of me that I leave behind for my family that will matter. At the end of my life, I hope people think of me how they think of you.

I hope my life is one that would make you proud. I hope I'm the person you hoped I would be. I hope you would be happy that after a few changes, I have decided to follow in your footsteps as a teacher. I hope you would be happy to call me your daughter.

I wish I could do what most daughters would and sit with you as you read this, but I cannot. The truth is I know you are too busy praising God in Heaven to even be worried about us down here. I can go to your grave and visit, but I know you are not there. You are no longer bedridden with cancer. You are no longer worried about what will happen to our family while you are gone. You are praising the Savior who healed you, just not in the way we had hoped. I actually wrote this letter for me, to help ease the pain of never getting to say all of the things I wish I could. This week will mark seven years since you've been gone. I'm still healing and I think I always will be. It's hard to imagine the rest of my life without you in it. My future husband and children will never be able to meet you. My friends from college will not see you on move-in day. I will never get to hear your voice again. But you were the perfect mom for 14 years and I know there's a reason for it all. There is not a day that passes that I do not think of you and I'm ready for the day we are reunited. I love you, Momma.

Love,

Your Daughter