My parents have made me the person I am today and often times, I forget to thank them for all of the hard work it has taken. As I venture farther out into the world and meet all kinds of new people, I am constantly making a mental note to thank my parents for the way they raised me. Though I may not have appreciated their guidance along the way, I can now say that they are a shining example of what I hope to one day become as a parent.

Thank you for always being there. Whether it was softball, an academic assembly or an end of the year banquet, I could always look out into the crowd and see their smiling faces. I can hear Dad yelling to me from the dugout to "keep my eye on the ball!" I can see Mom jumping to her feet when they called my name at graduation. Even when it might have been inconvenient for them to be there, they carved out the time. I didn't appreciate it at the time but now I realize just how much just seeing them standing near by made things less scary.

Thank you for teaching me that you have to be able to laugh at yourself. Dad has tried to embarrass me so many times that it doesn't even phase me any more. They've taught me that you can't take yourself too seriously. It is better to laugh at your mistakes than worry over them. They've taught me that there is a humorous side to every situation and it makes the hard times easier to get through when you've got a smile on your face.

Thank you for loving me through all of my mistakes. My parents have always made it clear to me that there is nothing in this world I could do that would make them stop loving me. There is nothing more important to me than knowing I have their unconditional love. I've made plenty of mistakes and each time my parents help me back onto my feet and push me in the right direction.

Thank you for proving to me the importance of family. Dad always says, "All you have in this life is your blood so you need to hold onto them." My family is extremely close. My parents have always worked hard to keep us that way. We've always put time into a family hobby whether it be keeping up with wrestling, going camping or collecting baseball cards, we've done it together. Not many families can say they are as tight knit as ours is. That fact has and will always mean a lot to me.

Thank you for pushing me to be better. I have the tendency to do just enough to get by. My parents have never settled for that. My mom pushes me to put in the extra effort to raise that B to an A. My Dad helped me put in the extra hours on the ball field to perfect my swing. They both encourage me to work just a little longer, try a little harder, put in all I have. All that pushing has molded me into a successful student, a dedicated athlete and a hardworking employee.

Thank you for making sure that God has always been the center of my life. Every Sunday morning my Mom wakes me up to go to our little church. She reminds me to say my prayers and read my bible. My Dad makes sure I know that everything is in God's hands and that He does have a plan for me. My parents have always been willing to answer any questions I have about my faith. They are both outstanding examples of what a true Christian looks like.

Thank you for your patience with my never ending "what if" questions. Thank you for the never ending supply of pets and laughter. Thank you for keeping food in the fridge and the air conditioning running. Thank you for washing my clothes and keeping the house clean. Thank you for sending me to college and putting gas in my tank. I'll never be able to thank you enough for everything you do for not only me, but our entire family. Y'all are the best parents I could have ever hoped to have and I hope to grow up to be just like you.