If I had to pick one person that I’m most grateful for, it is my mom. I love my mom. Anyone who knows me even the slightest bit knows that I love my mom. I talk to her wherever I am, and her number is on speed dial. My mom is my best friend and my biggest supporter. I can literally talk to her about anything, and while she may judge me, she will always support me. My mom is a very strong and resilient person. I’m grateful for how hard she works for her family and how selfless she is.

One of the things my mom taught me that I’m most grateful for is my mindset. I’ve always been the kind of person to struggle with decision making and being a people pleaser–to the point where I didn’t take myself into consideration. My mom has always been the opposite of me; tough, strong, and the type of person who doesn’t take any crap. She’s the type of person who doesn’t care about what others think about her at all, and I aspire to be that way. Whenever I came home crying, expressed how upset I felt about not being able to speak up for myself, she constantly comforted me and helped me take baby steps to build up a tougher persona. I’m genuinely so thankful for how she tried her hardest (and still tries to) understand our different personalities and understand me better as a person.

Despite how tough my mother may seem, she is a very compassionate and loving person. She cares about people, and has an open heart to those she doesn’t understand. She raised me and my siblings by constantly showering us in love and affection, and she is (in my opinion) one of the best kinds of people to talk to. She keeps her heart and mind open, and she is always willing to listen and soothe your pain. She encourages me to feel and not bottle things up. She encourages me to cry and let it out, and to tell her about anything I’m struggling with.

I truly am so thankful for my mom, in more ways than one.