Dear Mom,

Thank you for holding me when I cry

For knowing my feelings are real even if my problems are not

For coming to my tea parties, even when every other guest was plastic

Thank you for teaching me what I needed to know and letting me learn what I needed to discover

For keeping me just a kid and letting me grow up

For taking care of my health and my sickness

And for telling me I am beautiful even when I feel ugly

Thank you for loving me enough to punish me

For holding me close and letting me go

And telling me what was right even if I did not want to hear it

Thank you for coffee cake on Saturday mornings and oranges after soccer games

For keeping me grounded and letting me fly

For understanding even when you don’t

And for loving me when I mess up

Thank you for letting me explore the world because it is what I needed to do

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

I love you,
Caitlin