To My Mother,

As classes resume, and our calendar on the refrigerator is once again color-coded to such a degree that one could easily mistake it for a child’s art project, I want to thank you for all that you have done for me in my life. With your work schedule, and my class schedule, we are not going to see each other a lot this semester. I live you with, in our home, and I count it a good day if I can see you and share a pot of coffee for those precious twenty minutes after work and before I have to skedaddle to campus. And it is for those long nights, with you waiting up to ensure I return home safety, that I am writing this.

Mom, you have taught me so much. I know how to sew, use a crock pot, iron my own clothes, and do a load of laundry with bleach. I know how to manage time, make compromises, and understand that I can’t change situations but rather how I react to them to make them manageable. I learned that from you. You taught me how to make chicken soup to heal my soul when I am sick. You taught me how to braid my hair, and showed me how to practice on Barbie dolls. Thank you for teaching me how to be independent and self-sufficient.

Mom, you let me make my own mistakes and learn from them. You let me forge my identity, and create my future. You let me cut my hair when I was a kid, and let me see for myself just how terrible of an idea that was. You let me apply myself in areas that interested me and stood by me even when I know you had stuff you would definitely rather be doing. After doing the whole ‘PTA Mom’ and ‘Room Mom’ and ‘Band Mom’, I know you did not want to help me with chorus, but you did. You were a booster parent and you went to every concert, and above all else, you supported me with every single fiber of your being. Thank you for showing me that I can do anything I want to, if I have tenacity enough to do so.

Mom, I know that financially attending Rollins is a difficult task for us to take on, especially with everything else our family handles. I know how badly you want all of your children to prosper, and thrive. I know it hurt you to have that discussion with me. But I want to thank you, so sincerely, for allowing me to choose for myself how to live. I want to thank you for allowing me to grow up and mature, and see me as an equal rather than someone you can talk down to. I want to thank you for encouraging me to look at every option in life possible. I want to thank you, more than anything, for becoming my friend and having honest discussions with me.

Mom, you are one of my best friends. You know everything going on in my life, and I am going to miss you during this semester. I know the nights are going to be long, and the days even longer. I know I will not see you nearly as much as I need to, but I want to thank you for everything you have done, for everything you have taught me. I want to thank you for waiting up every night, for going above and beyond to support me and encourage me to be the best that I can with all that I do.

Mom, thank you for being so much more than just my mother.