From the very beginning of her life, my mom has defied all odds. She was born into dysfunction. Blunt, but that’s how she usually explains it. My mom was never able to bond with her parents or siblings in a typical way, not because they didn’t get along, but because she knew she deserved so much better than what she was given. That is what I admire most about her. My mom was the only one of her siblings to attend college; she was also the one that paid for it all. She worked two full-time jobs, day in and day out while she earned her degree because she knew that in the end, it would all be worth it. She has a work ethic unlike any other person I know. At the end of her education journey, she received her minor in Chemistry and major in Microbiology along with a master’s in Occupational Therapy. She had earned that all on her own, with no one’s help (which I think she is too humble about).  

Despite all she has overcome, she is filled with infectious joy and positivity that draws even the crabbiest people to her. My mom always went all-in on everything that we did when my sister and I were kids. She would bike with me to the library, jump off the deep end with me in the pool, and always talk to the animals at the zoo. She is always busy, frantically on the go, often referring to the quote “You can sleep when you’re dead.” My mom is a very clean and organized lady, something that I have acquired from her. People sometimes make fun of her for it, but for her, it served as a survival technique.

My mom was a single mother for most of my life, but in my eyes, she dealt with it with ease. I never once saw her confidence waver or her strength break down, even for a moment. My mom has always been my everything. She was the one that mowed the lawn, killed the wasps in the backyard and fixed the sump pump when it rained. Even after going through a painful divorce, she remained in my childhood home for three years on a single income, just so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain of change as hard. Still to this day, there is not a single soul who brings me more comfort than her. As a child, I had terrible separation anxiety when I was away from her, so bad to the point I would make myself sick, even at my own grandparent’s house when I would spend the night. I know now that the only reason we were away from her for a night was so she could break down, and not let her kids be there to see her crack under the pressure. My mom has always been able to talk me down a cliff. Right when I think I’ve had enough, she gives me the strength to go on. She has been there wholeheartedly for every stage of life, no matter how badly I ever treated her.

Dear Mom, you are the reason I am here today. Your story brings me hope that I can do anything I set my mind to. Everything I do in the future is all for you.

Love, Anna.