hey mom,

My phone lock screen is a picture of my mom. Without fail, every time someone looks at my phone they always comment on how pretty she is. And, she is. Hands down the most gorgeous person I have ever met, but she is also so much more than that. Sometimes I just want to articulate everything else I love about her. Simply put, she is my inspiration. It is because of her, that I wake up every morning with a drive to accomplish something even when I lose that internal strength myself. She is always doing something new which is always so much more exciting than the last, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. She in many ways, is my favorite person. I could probably watch her get ready, take a billion work calls, or cook on repeat for the rest of my life. I don’t know how she does it, but every step she takes is so elegant, powerful, and admirable. Whenever we are together, she gives me the warmest and coziest embrace I have ever felt. Sometimes she will just come into my room and ask that I lean on her, she says “put all your stress on me.” If only she knew that her presence alone manages to make me feel like everything is alright. Between you and I, my mom calls me her little baby. For that reason, she hates it whenever I talk about my wedding day. She says I am too young to be envisioning a day like this (it’s actually SO funny how quickly she shuts it down). Yet, it isn’t the groom or the dress or overall event that I envision - it’s her. I imagine her getting me ready and giving me away because the supposed happiest day of my life could only be happy if she’s there. Throughout my childhood, she was my only parent (Yes, I wish her Happy Father’s Day too). Maybe one day I’ll explain the difficulties she had to go through for us to be here, but wow if you knew her life story you would be in awe. She makes sure I learn from her life experiences and the hurdles she’s faced She taught me how to hold my head up high. How to stand up for myself. How to respect myself. How to work hard. and everything else there is to be a strong woman like her. And, that’s exactly what I want to be when I get older - her. Happy Mothers Day mom <3. You deserve everything this world has to offer, and I promise to one day give you that. Until then I have another present, it is coming home with me next week (and no, the present is not me).

- With all the love I have and then some, your daughter