I owe you my life. No, literally, I owe you my life. So here is to you and what I should have told you long ago.

Honestly, you are Wonder Woman to me. I am constantly amazed of what you do on a daily basis and what you are capable of doing. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. From the divorce to falling back in love, you have been the perfect exhibition of how deep trust should run and how much love one human is capable of having and giving. You have shown me that fear is an inadequate reason to stop trying to be a better person or chasing what you want. Your spirit overflows from you, and you are often incapable of containing your own goodness.

You have been a source of light for me, an example of what I need and want to become. You have always believed that people can and do change, and I am amazed by you for that. I have sat beside you often while people scoffed at you for freely sharing forgiveness with others, and I have heard them call you naive for your ability, but I have never thought you to be so. You do not require penance, only the desire to return to previous terms- whatever those might have been. You give chances to those who often do not deserve them, and I was one of those who did not deserve your forgiveness. Without hesitation, you gave it to me anyways. Now, I have heard a thousand people say, "well she's your mom, of course she's going to do that" but that is seldom how parent-child relationships work these days. If people knew half of the things you had to endure because of me, they'd probably be amazed too. Like Jesus, your love does not expire or run out.

Besides this, Mom, you are fearless. You pick out goals and analyze the quickest way to achieve them. As I have so often heard from friends and strangers alike, "...[you are] one of the smartest women [they] have ever met." You astound people with your intellectual abilities, but you are not proud or haughty. Rather, you are the opposite. You observe, listen and wait. You possess wisdom far beyond your years, and I can only assume it was wit and proper raising that brought you to that point. I aspire to be this Mom, you are my standard.

Most of all, you are genuine. Your mannerisms, words and actions are all of pure, true intention. I truly believe deception is not in your nature and honestly I am so thankful for that. You have shown me that honesty and openness is perhaps one of the most effective strategies for raising a child or developing a relationship. If you hadn't gone against the standard in so many ways with me, Lord only knows where I would be today.

You push me, Mom. Without even trying, you drive me to want to be a better person, a better wife, a better friend, a better daughter. You encourage me no matter the time or circumstance and you never let me quit. You answer the phone nine million times a day to talk to me, ignore all my texts just to blow me up when I take a midday nap. You are the Pinky to my Brain, the peanut butter to my jelly and my best friend in the entire world. I will never stop being grateful that God gave me you, because I couldn't do this thing without you.

So here's to you, Mom, and to hoping that I am even half of the woman that you are today.

I love you most.