My mom is my hero. And I don’t mean that in the “Yay, I love my mom! She’s better than yours” kind of way (although she definitely is). I mean in the down-to-earth, she is an amazing person whom I still look up to every day.

A really good friend of mine just lost his mom and I cannot imagine life without mine. I cannot understand the pain that he must be going through because I can thankfully say that I’ve never experienced anything like that. The loss of a parent is an individual experience and everyone faces its challenges differently.

But my momma made a donation to show that she cared for him and his family. She has never met him. But she loves me and she trusts my judgment. And because I love him and I know that he’s a good person, she chooses to believe that as well.

My mom has been my biggest support for as long as I can remember. She backs me 100% even on the things she may not agree with 100%. She knows that I have to learn things on my own and that sometimes we aren’t going to agree. But she has pushed me to be a successful adult and I think I’m doing an alright job.

My mom taught me that we care for other people. She taught me that people are inherently good and sometimes get mixed up in bad things—but that doesn’t make them bad people. She taught me to love and to give and she taught me to be loved—because yes, there is a difference.

My mom taught me to be strong and independent. She taught me to have a voice even when I don’t feel like I deserve one. She taught me to fight for my rights, but to do so in a manner that is fair and right.

My mom has taught me that while you may not always “like” your family, you still love them. And at th end of the day that’s what matters. My mom taught me to never go to be angry because you never know what the morning holds.

My mom taught me that I am beautiful and that I am an individual. She taught me that surrounding yourself with people who make you happy is the best way to live life. My mom taught me that sometimes people come into your life for a short while and then you need to let them go.

My mom taught me that sometimes girls (and guys) are mean but that isn’t about you, it’s about them.  She taught me that not everyone is gonna like you and you can’t always control that. But you can always be nice. Kill’em with kindness as they say.

My mom taught me that it’s okay to be sad and it’s okay to cry. She taught me that it’s also okay not to have the same emotions as everyone else. She taught me that just because people react differently, doesn’t mean they aren’t reacting at all—it just looks different.

My mom taught me to trust people, once they earn it.

My mom has led by example and some of these lessons may not have been the most obvious, but eventually I caught on and learned them somewhere along the line.

Happy Mother's Day Mommy! Thanks for being the best role model for the past 23 years. I love you to the moon and back!