A Letter For My Mom

Before we get started, you should just know that I probably have the best mom in the entire world so this might be a little bit biased.  

My family has never been one of those conventional families that does weekend outings together every Saturday or talks about their feelings every second of every day, but I have never wanted for anything and I have known that I am loved my entire life and a lot of this is due to my mom.  She is one of the strongest women I have ever met.  She has worked hard her entire life and set an example for my sister and I of what it means to work for what you want and to be proud of what you have. 

I have seen her take care of not only me, but our whole family including both of my grandparents.  When I was younger, she made sure that she was at as many softball games, scholastic bowl matches, band competitions, and speech tournaments as she could even though they were probably not the most exciting things she could be doing.  She has made sure that I have always felt supported in whatever I did.  Even when I decided to come on the Race, she had people constantly telling her that if I was their child they wouldn't let me go, but she just told them that she raised me to make my own decisions and that she supported me 100% if this was what I really wanted and felt called to do.

At this point in reading this blog, she's probably rolling her eyes and feeling embarrassed, but she needs to know that she is probably the best example I could have ever had in my entire life for what it looks like to be a strong, independent woman, who also loves whole-heartedly, and is not afraid to put others before herself.  She has also shown me what it looks like to have a strong marriage without feeling like you have to lose yourself.  I am so thankful for everything that my mom has done for me and I'll never be able to repay her.  
 And even though I don't tell you this enough, I miss you a lot and I'm excited to be able to talk to you more than once a month!