Dear Mom,

Before you start getting older, your health starts to deteriorate, and you start to not remember a lot of things; I would like to thank you for all the things you have done for me.

First and foremost, thank you for divorcing my father. He was never around for me when I was a kid. He was always too busy with work, playing golf, and going running. He was stubborn, selfish, cowardly, and completely not the right fit for you. After so many years of you trying to get him to spend time with me and having to cater to his every need, I don’t blame you for pulling in the reigns. I can’t image my life being any better if my father was around. I like to chalk it up to his loss.

Thank you for teaching me the value of a dollar. Every Sunday, you would religiously read the weekly ads and cut out tons of coupons. You would spend so much time staring at the prices on the store shelves calculating in your head what the best deal was and I remember you saying, “I can get that cheaper at …….” You would also refuse to buy me anything from the mall because you said those stores are “too expensive”. Not only did that teach me how to manage and budget my money as I got older, but it also taught me how to get the most out of my money.

Thank you for always taking me shopping as a kid. We may not have had very much money, but we sure did love to shop. We loved going anywhere, even garage sales and thrift stores, but I loved it most because it was our biggest bonding time. We may not have bought very many things, but those times we spent shopping together meant the world to me.

Thank you for making me do chores as a kid. I may have fought with you over and over again about how I didn’t want to mow the lawn, do the dishes, or ever clean the kitty litter, but I’m glad you never caved in and did it yourself. This taught me how to clean up after myself and how to care for things.

Thank you for working every job imaginable to ensure I had food on the table. I saw the stress and toll it put on you to work a job you truly hated and never looked forward to going to every day. All of  your efforts to continue to work, just for Lori and I, really propelled me to go to college and to work hard. I have the ability to live out my dreams because of all that you sacrificed for me. 

Thank you for never believing me when I tried faking sick so I could get out of school for the day. Normally it was because I had a big test or a big presentation I wasn’t prepared for, or it was because I had done something highly embarrassing and I didn’t want to show my face at school until the embarrassment wore off, but you still forced me to go to school anyway and face my fears. This taught me that most things aren’t as bad as I think they are. I just need to grin and bear it.

You have shown me how to be caring, loving, and how to never settle. I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing me all of this. You have made me a strong, independent, and smart young lady, which I wouldn’t have been without your help. This is one debt I will never be able to repay.

Love,

Amy