Though mothers should be celebrated every day, Mother's Day seems to draw kids closer to their moms and hug them and love them and appreciate them a little more. I love mothers day because I have had many great moms in my life to look up to and learn from. So, here is an article dedicated to all of my moms. I love you and hope to be like you when I'm a mom myself, one day.

To my birth mama:

Mom, you have been my biggest supporter since day one. You held me, cherished me, and adored me. Thank you for embracing my nerdy nature and allowing me to read books late into the night, even on school nights. Thank you for encouraging the other kids and myself to chase after what we want and not let anybody stop us or change our minds. You have raised five strong children and helped them to flourish and truly be themselves. I love your wild soul, the fact that you work hard, and that you raised us to become independent and believe in ourselves. Thank you for doing everything to help us kids out whenever we need it and being a shoulder when I cry. I can't thank you enough. I love you so much.

To my step-mom:

When you met and married my dad, you took my siblings and myself in. Though times have been very up and down, I know that you do love us. Thank you for being honest with me about a lot of things because that helped me to understand other points of view. You and I have a close bond and I appreciate you so much. Though it doesn't always seem like it, I know how hard the past almost ten years have been and I love you for sticking around. Thanks for all the shopping trips and sharing your coffee with me. You've helped me grow into a smarter woman and I hope our relationship continues to grow as time passes.

To my grandmas:

I hope to be a grandma like you one day. I hope that my future grand kids still want to spend time with me and come to my house for a few hours and talk about life and nonsense. And thank you for always having food for me to eat when I come over!

Thank you, Grandma Jean, for being a woman of character. You are one of the strongest women I know and I adore you. Thank you for always bringing Christ into our conversations and being a sounding board for me when I need it. I want to be like you when I grow up.

Thank you, Nana, for always making me laugh. You're a fun and exciting woman to be around. Thanks for being there for me even when we haven't talked in a while and always giving me good advice. And thank you for opening up to me about your life and making time we spend together very fun. We can both talk a storm and that makes things exciting.

Thank you, Grandma Brenda, for being a cool grandma. I know us kids probably annoyed you when we were younger, but you always allowed us to run around and have fun and just be kids. Thanks for being supportive of me now though we don't see each other often. I can't wait to see you again (hopefully I'll make a trip to Montana soon).

To my friend's moms:

Thank you for raising my best friends! Your kids have helped to make me the person I am today and they couldn't have done it without your guidance. Thank you for treating me like one of your own and inviting me to be a part of your family. You always make me feel welcome and comfortable.

Thank you to all of the women that I have gone and still go to church with. I love you so much and you have taught me that blood doesn't matter when it comes to family. We are all family in Jesus. I would name each of you right now if that wouldn't take up hundreds of words. Just know that you mean so much to me just by caring for me and my life and giving me advice and counsel in the Lord.

To all mothers:

I dream of having my own kids one day and experiencing the unconditional love found between them and myself. Until then, I will thank and appreciate you every day. Though I don't verbalize it often enough, or hardly ever, being a mom has got to be one of the most exhausting jobs ever. But the rewards are endless. From a daughter, what you do does not go unnoticed. We see you doing your best and even when we don't always tell you this, we love you so much for it. We really wouldn't succeed or grow without your love, support, encouragement, care, or hard work.

Happy Mother's Day!