Dear Mom,

We did it! Yes, I am saying we. I am saying we because I don’t think that I would be able to get to where I am today without you. Reading this letter, I have a feeling that you are going to say that I made it here on my own but in reality, you are my backbone not just with school, but in life. 

Within the past two years, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs. You’ve held me at my lowest while I was on the floor crying and you’ve wiped my tears when life got so overwhelming that I was just plain afraid. Growing up, there were not only strangers but also family who would tell me that my dreams were too big. They would tell me at such a young age that I was going to be just another statistic and a  product of the environment that has continuously failed people every day and for some reason, I started to believe that. I started to believe that I was not as important as I thought and that I wasn’t going to make it to the point where I was capable of going to college. You are the one who taught me that there are people in this world who are going to try to knock me down to my lowest but I just have to keep proving not only them but myself wrong every day. Because of you, my love of sports has grown. I found something that I was passionate about no matter if it was basketball, softball, volleyball, or cheerleading. You encouraged me to not limit myself and to do what makes me happy. You helped me to understand fully what it meant to be independent. You taught me that as long as I have two arms, two legs, and a functioning brain I don’t need to rely on someone else to do anything for me. 

But more importantly, you gave me life. You are the reason why I am breathing and am wanting to wake up every morning, get dressed, and face the next challenge that comes my way. Even on your worst days, you kept a smile on your face and continued to laugh. You managed to put up with my cheesy jokes for eighteen years and me interpreting you at the most random moments. Even though you didn’t want to, you put up with me sharing a little too much information even though I refused to stop because I knew it was torture for you. Every day you continue to rise above your circumstances and love me unconditionally and I am proud to call you my mom/dad. I love you, red ranger, and I forever will.

Sincerely, 

Your McNugget