Dear Mom,

Dear Mom,

You have known me all my life. You were there when I took my first breath. You were there when I started school. You were there when I scraped my first knee. You were there through the divorce. You were there when I got my first job. You were there when I started college.

You were there when I pushed you away...

It’s hard to put into words how much I love you and to tell you how much you mean to me. You are the toughest woman I know.

I know being a single mother for over half of my life has been hard on you, but I think it’s the challenges you’ve had to overcome that made me grow into the person I am today. Watching you struggle to make ends meet as my father gets to sit around and drink has never been fun. I could never imagine having the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Despite all of this, you still gave my brother and I a loving home. One filled with joy and excitement. Family movie nights. Family game nights. Fun hikes at our favorite parks. Most importantly, you never stopped trying. Whatever energy you had left, you gave it to us. You never took a day off.

***

You endured two days of labor for me. When I missed my curtain call, you patiently waited, or maybe it felt more like you were ready to drag me out onto the stage. At last I came out into the world. I definitely wasn’t the easiest baby---demanding to be fed every two hours and crying all night long. In the face of all of this, you still nourished and loved me; a love that will last forever.

I don’t know if I could ever live up to your name; your wisdom…

I remember the first few nights after you and dad divorced. We would have to go over to our grandpa’s house where dad was staying every other weekend and every Tuesday. That is a big shift for kids, let alone a now single mother. When I would call you crying at one in the morning, you never failed to drive over to get us. A part of you must have known how we felt, because the same thing happened with your mom and dad.

I believe dad has the power to change, just not the will...

When dad tried to drag me away from you, you held your head up high and knew I would one day be back. You were right. Unlike dad, you never viewed me as money. You only saw me as your daughter. Outside of the unforgivable actions my dad has made and his consequences you have to reap, I know a part of you loves him still. It’s painful to see someone so deserving of a kind love and beautiful relationship that has just never been able to have one. I know one day someone will be lucky to have you.

I may not have been the most rebellious teenager, but I certainly tried to be one. You dealt with my petty, teenager comments, as you would say, but continued to strive to make me become a bright, young, and accomplished woman. I know you measure your own success through your failures, but I think you are so much more than that. As I’ve said to you before, we are successful because of you.

We would have never been able to do the great things we do in life without your guidance and determination...

I’ll be graduating college in a month. I’ve come such a long way academically and I would never be where I am without you. With my last day of school fast approaching, all I can think about is my very first day of kindergarten. You watched me climb the stairs up to the classroom with the other children, but unlike their kids, I turned around; I looked back at you and said, “Don’t worry mom, I’ll be okay.”

And I was right because I have,

You.

143...I love you.