Hi Mom,

I love and miss you, as always. This has been a weird year for both of us. You will always feel safe-- like home-- to me, but this year I've realized that I have to find a home in myself. It's hard. I knew it would be. (You did, too.) Still, life is going well. I know that you may not see it that way, since you field all my, "Mom, can I call?... Like, NOW" texts, but I'm doing pretty okay. My classes are great, I'm making lots of new friends, and I'm discovering that I am stronger than I realized.

On the subject of finding myself, I have grown so much, Mom. I have had to be there for myself on days when things were going badly, and I have had to be there for myself when I didn't want to leave my bed. These days taught me so much, though, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I learned that half the battle is taking the first step, and that it's okay to let myself feel things when I need to instead of bottling up those emotions. I can't wait to show you how much I've grown the next time I see you.

I'm sure it's been hard watching me leave this year, but, Mom, I will always need you. You are still my person I want to call when it feels like everything is falling apart and my person I want to be proud of me when I succeed. You will never be irrelevant to me, because from the very first day you had me, you became someone unique in my life: my mom. I love you so much.