Dear Mom,

My beautiful, strong, loving and generous mother, there are no words to describe how grateful I am to have you as my mom. There are so many reasons to thank you, but here are some of the main ones.

I want to thank you for all of the hard work, money and time you have put into my life, especially since, as a single mother, you were in it alone. I am beginning to see that is not an easy task. Throughout my college experience, I have realized more and more things that I should be thankful for. Every single one of those things stems from you. I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for all of your hard work, love and nurturing.

I want to thank you for working two jobs, so I could have the things that I needed and even many things that were not necessary, but I wanted. I know you have sacrificed countless hours to provide our family with everything we need. I cannot thank you enough for that. Along with this, I would like to thank you for all of the bills you help out me with, even though I am an adult now. Going to a private institution is not cheap, so the insurance, medical, car and countless other bills that you take care of are greatly appreciated. I could not get the education necessary for my success if it were not for your help.

I want to thank you for molding me into the kind, loving and accepting person that I am today. Thank you for always telling me the story of how you were excited to send me to a preschool that had a disabled kid and many kids who were of a different ethnicity than me. This taught me to love diversity, not look down on it. I have learned to love everyone for their differences because of you. If you had not taught me this, I may not have the wonderful people in my life that I love so dearly.

I would not have had the great conversations and experiences with my transgender friends. Without this piece of me, I would not have met the most amazing blind girls, who bring me so much joy when they call me out of the blue. If you had not taught me that, no matter the differences, we are all humans and all deserve the same amount of respect, I would not have the most amazing Jewish best friend. If I would not have accepted our differences, because you brought me up that way, I would not have agreed to be her roommate and would have missed out on the most amazing human being I know (besides you, Mom). My best friend has taught me so much about a way of life different than mine and has been there for me when I needed it the most. All of these valuable things would have been lost and my life would be much less without the great values you instilled in me.

The sacrifices you have made are incredible and you deserve a big round of applause. No matter how ungrateful I seem at times, never forget that not so far from the surface, I am extremely grateful that I call you Mom. I know I am missing so many more things to say thank you for. but for now, this will have to do. Even though these words do not mean nearly enough, I will say them one more time. Thank you!

I love you with all of my heart,

Emily