Dear Mom, I Want to Be You When I Grow Up

You always hear people say that they don’t want to end up like their parents. But Mom, becoming like you would be a dream come true. Even being half the woman you are would be a blessing. You’re so much more than my mother.

You are my best friend. Whenever something big happens in my life, you are the first person I want to call. You know all of my drama. You are the best listener. You are my favorite person to talk to. When I look back at the big moments in my life, you were there to cheer me on. When I look back at the hard moments in my life, you were there to wipe away my tears. And when I look back at the scary moments of my life, the times when I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, you were there to hold my hand, reminding me that there may be a fight ahead but that I will never have to fight it alone. And I never had to. Thank you for that.

You are my soulmate. You’ve loved me unconditionally from the moment my tiny heart began to beat. I don’t have to hide who I am with you. I don’t have to try to impress you or pretend like my life is not one gigantic mess when I am around you. Thank you for embracing my mess. Thank you for sitting with me in my mess and reminding me that there is beauty in imperfections. You taught me that it is okay to be human. Thank you for letting me be me, for letting me make mistakes so that I can learn, and for helping me pick up the pieces when you were right yet again. Thank you for loving every part of me, even the parts I dared not show anyone and the parts I felt were hard to love.

You are my greatest teacher. No one will ever give the advice of a mother. Thank you for teaching me to be strong. Thank you for teaching me that sometimes strength isn’t what we think it is. Sometimes strength is letting yourself feel emotions or letting yourself cry. Thank you for letting me cry. Sometimes strength is saying no and putting yourself first. Thank you for telling me “no.” Sometimes strength is bringing people together. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a good person. You are the most kind, compassionate, giving, selfless, and wise person I will ever know. Thank you for teaching me to see the best in people.

You are my biggest fan. You support each and every one of my crazy endeavors. Thank you for supporting me when I changed colleges. Thank you for supporting me every time I decided on a different career path. Most importantly, thank you for encouraging me to follow my heart. Know that it will always lead me back to you.

You are my Mama Bear. You never let anyone mess with me or boss me around. You stand up for me when I am confronted. You encourage me to set boundaries and never settle for anything less than I deserve. You are my protector. You’ve shown me by example how to love myself and that I am in charge of defining how people can treat me. Thank you for not letting me settle. Thank you for protecting me from the greatest storms of my life. On the rough days, you were there to hold me while I cried. There have been plenty of those days. Thank you for offering, sometimes jokingly and sometimes seriously, to beat up the people who have wronged me. Maybe one day I’ll take you up on that.

You are my inspiration. I hope to be as selfless as you. I want to take care of my family like you take care of yours. I will uphold your legacy as the glue that holds our family together, but I don’t think I will ever be able to do it as gracefully as you. I hope to be as wise as you. As loving. As smart. As successful. As hard-working. As patient. As kind. As funny. As beautiful. As happy. I could go on forever. You are my greatest role model.

Thank you for being the best gift God has ever given me. I don’t deserve your patience, kindness, and unconditional love. I am sorry for the fights we’ve had. I am sorry for the times I was ungrateful or the times I acted out. No amount of thank you’s, Mother’s Day celebrations, or hugs can ever come close to matching the love you’ve showered me with my entire life. I will never be able to repay you for the nights you stayed up with me doing homework, the sacrifices you made to make sure I was taken care of, the trips to the doctor, the volleyball lessons, the books, the vacations, or the wisdom you have shared with me. I am the person I am today because of you. I am grateful for you every single day of my blessed life. If the day comes, I hope to be as amazing of a mother as you. You are the sunshine of my life. You are my hero. You are everything I want to be and more.