Dear Mom,

This letter has been a long time coming. I'm sure you expected some kind of acknowledgment on your birthday, but that came and went with the stress of closing on our house. That's all right, there's always Mother's Day, right? But Mother's Day came and went and I still hadn't said anything. That's okay, it's too cliche to acknowledge my Mother on Mother's Day anyway. Right? So, here I am a few days before Father's Day contemplating my relationship with my parents and I decided now was the time to sing your praises.

Mom, we've had an interesting relationship, haven't we? Some of my friends were envious of it, others were shocked and appalled. We've had our ups and downs, as I'm sure every mother-daughter relationship has and we definitely have our differences. You like Nicholas Sparks, I like Daphne DuMaurier. You like chocolate candy, I like fruity candy. You love comedies and chick flicks, I love foreign films and fantasy. I like math, you... not so much. You love rock 'n roll, I love classical. You can sew, I would sooner stick myself with a needle than even try.

But we also have many similarities. I love to cook, you like to eat what I make (mostly). We both have a thing for Carey Grant and wish the dresses from the early 1960's would make a comeback. We have the same mannerisms, the same laugh, and we both dance with our mouths open (I prefer to say we dance with expressive faces). Neither one of us can carry a tune, yet we both love to hum along to our favorite songs. I am the walking-spitting-image of you (except with blue eyes). I used to get upset when people said I looked just like you because I wanted to be my own individual (something else I get from you). Now, I look at how beautiful you are, how you don't look like you could be the Mom of a 25 year old let alone a grandmother to two children, and I think to myself, "dang, I hope I look that hot in another 25 years."

Mom - I know you have your doubts as to whether or not you were a good Mom, let me reassure you - You ARE! Because of you I learned to laugh at myself, people think I have a good sense of humor now. Because of you I went to college. You were the voice in my head that made me finish my degree even when things got tough. You've always expected the best out of me, you always pushed me to do my best. You taught me not to care of others' opinions of me. You showed me how to be considerate of those around me and you taught me that I am a daughter of God.

I still think you are a little crazy - but the thing is, you are MY crazy Mom and I wouldn't have it any other way. To simply put it - I love you, Mom.


P.S. I don't have any recent pictures of you and me, at least if I do I don't know where Carlin has stored them, so this will have to do.