Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Thank you so much for all of the things that you taught me. Everything from my ABC's to please and thank you.

Thanks for teaching me to cook and do laundry.

Thanks for letting me mess up your kitchen when I went through my "baking from scratch" phase back when I was a preteen.

Thank you for helping me understand how important is to be quiet in the house when someone else is sleeping (I think that had something to with OHHHHH I don't know, working third shift as a single mom???). Thank you for teaching me how to work hard for what I have even if it meant working third shift as a single mom.

Thank you for teaching me that if I hate to iron I should look for clothes that do not have to be ironed by never letting me choose clothes that needed to be ironed:)

Thanks for always reminding me that I should walk a mile in someones shoes and not be so quick to judge others.

Thanks for taking me to Julian Harris to vote in my very first presidential election a week after I turned 18. I was so proud! AND I have come a LONG way in my political thinking since then. Thanks for tolerating me even though we do not see eye to eye on LOTS of things namely, politics!

Thank you for teaching me that just because I am not at church every Sunday morning does not mean that I can't have a deeply spiritual relationship with My Creator.

Thank you mom, for taking the time to tell me that you are proud of me. Those five words had more impact on me as a young adult, and even now, than you could ever know.

Thanks for always making traditions like going to cut down a Christmas Tree on the day of the Decatur Christmas Parade every year. I can appreciate now all to much how you always made us clean the house before we got to put out all of the Christmas decorations. Not only did it help me appreciate everything that went into making the house festive, it also made the actual task of decorating a treat that we loved to do as a family!

Thanks for always fostering good relationships between Kelly and Josh and myself. I love having siblings that are my best friends.

Thank you mom for making it. Thank you for pulling out of near death so that we could have you around for a while. Not quite sure how you managed to get your liver back from failure- but you did it and I am so proud. And those kidneys that failed on you and allowed all of that fluid to fill up your lungs....you got those back, too. The doctors can hardly believe it! Thanks mom for working so hard at getting better so that we can have you back again!

Love,

Melanie