Nineteen. The amount of times I call you each week, the amount of times you drive back and forth to visit me at school each semester, and the amount of years that I have been lucky enough to call you my mom.

For the last 19 years you have devoted your life to your children. You have given up date nights, sleep, and your passions in order to put your kids before yourself. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for the life you have given me and the person that you have shaped me into. There are not enough words to thank you for all you do.

Thank you for listening.

There are not many people who can put up with my incessant nagging and loud mouth. I may have been mute until the age of five, but I have definitely made up for it in the last 14 years. You listen to me talk about nothing for hours on end and even pick up the phone when I call to say nothing. Many would argue that I call you way too much, but they just don’t understand our relationship and the fact that calling you is like calling my best friend.

Thank you for all of your advice.

You're the first person I call when I am in a tough situation or need a favor to ask. Whether it’s about what to eat for lunch or what to do when I am in a fight with a friend, you're always on the other end of the line giving me advice.

Thank you for being forgiving.

Thank you for forgiving me for not listening to your advice, even when I know you're right, and helping me out of tough situations that I could have inevitably avoided had I listened to you. Thank you for driving to school to bring me whenever I need, and only complaining for a few hours. Thank you for also forgiving us when we forget your birthday and acting like we aren't your children when we embarrass you in public, at the end of the day you're always the first one to say it’s okay. I also apologize for making you put up with our antics for all of these years, God gave you three girls when all you wanted was a boy because you are one of the few people who can deal with us all day everyday.

Thank you for your time.

From acting lessons, dance lessons, plays, pageants, and cheerleading competitions, thank you for always being on the sideline cheering us on. You spend more time in the car driving us around than you do in your own house, for this I am ever grateful. Having you by my side throughout whatever I am doing is something I am eternally thankful for.

Thank you for teaching me how to love and be loved.

To the woman who loves everyone she encounters and could never hurt a fly, I aspire to be like you. I love you more than you will ever know and thank you for loving me.