To my Mom on her birthday:

I don't think I can tell you enough how thankful I am for you. Not only that you brought me into this world, but also for the support you've given me since being here.

I am thankful that you took me home from my first day at Rec soccer when I was 7 because I hated it, even though you already paid the money for it. I'm thankful for all of those nights I got homesick at a friend's house and you came to pick me up in the middle of the night. I am thankful for you letting me crawl into your bed at night when I had nightmares. You made me feel safe.

I am thankful for the fact that you are one of the few people on this earth that can listen to me talk for hours and hours- and not just pretend to. You actually listen. I am also thankful for your acceptance, so I feel comfortable telling you anything and everything. I am thankful for all of those times when I felt sad and alone and was seemingly inconsolable and you did the best you could to comfort me. I am thankful for your honesty, and the fact I can trust you with anything. I am even thankful for all of those times that you put me in my place and grounded me, and all of those times we screamed at each other because ultimately, those experiences made me a better person. I would not be who I am today if it wasn't for you.

I am thankful for how you always managed to make sure I went on every single field trip growing up. I am thankful for how you made our Christmases and birthdays as great as possible, no matter what our situation at the time was. You always managed to make everything work out.

You are the one person that will be the hardest to leave when I go to college in the fall. I will miss you every single night I'm gone, as much as I talk about how excited I am to leave. You are not only my Mom, you are my best friend. You are the one person who has never left me, has never wronged me, and has been nothing but selfless to me my entire life. You gave me a childhood, you gave me a family, and you gave me a home, and I can only hope to be that kind of Mom to my own kids in the future. I will be forever in debt to you for everything you have given me, and I will be forever connected to you, no matter where we both are. I love you more than anything in the world.

Love,

Your incredibly thankful daughter