Mom, thank you. Thank you for all the things I see and don’t see.
Thank you for the peanut butter sandwiches. Thank you for running me to and from sports events and recitals.
Thank you for every gift and vacation. Thank you.
Thank you for the relationship advice and for answering all of my “adulting” questions.
Taxes and how to roast a turkey are tricky, so thank you for taking the time to explain them to me.
Thank you for always answering when I call. Thank you for always having an open door.
Thank you for drying my tears in the second grade when somebody made fun of my hand-me-down clothes. I know that was hard for you and that you were doing the best that you could.
Thank you for helping me with math homework, even if it wasn’t your best subject.
Thank you for drying my tears when I couldn’t understand said math homework.
In general, thanks for all the tear drying, from infant to adult. You are still the best handkerchief.
Thank you for doing laundry, especially when I “needed” to change my outfit four times in one day.
Thank you for cleaning up my messes, literally and figuratively.
Thank you for all of the opportunities; swim lessons, summer camp, every dang sleepover.
I see now why you said no to sleepovers and appreciate every time that you said yes.
Thank you for making me change my clothes when they were inappropriate and telling me to wear a coat when it was cold.
Thank you for forcing me to shower, brush my teeth, and comb my hair. You deserved better than a smelly, rabid kid.
Thank you for the little trinkets and trips that flood my memory and make me smile.
Thank you for singing and dancing with me all the time, even if I giggle at you when you do.
Thank you for being the best role model. When I was younger, I thought celebrities were the only people who could be role models. Boy, was I wrong.
It was you. It has always been you.
Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made.
Thank you for sharing your granola bar, even when it was the only thing you had to eat so far that day.
Thank you for taking the job that wasn’t the most fulfilling to guarantee my future.
Thank you for worrying, and sorry for making you worry.
Thank you for the long days and exhaustion and for smiling when you wanted to cry.
Thank you for disciplining me and teaching me respect.
Thank you for all the things I cannot see. I know they are there, so thank you.
Most importantly, thank you for loving me and showing me how to love.
You are a gem, Mama. I love you.