Dear Mom...

Dear Mom…

I really not sure where I would be in my life, if I didn’t have you as my mother!

You labored to give birth to me.

You guided me through childhood.

You wiped the tears from my eyes and held me when I cried.

You disciplined me when I was out of line or did things I was not supposed to do.

You taught me how to sew, how to cook, and how take care of myself.

You cheered me on at every game, dance competition, or event I was a part of.

You raised me into an adult.

You showed me how to be kind, how to be patient and how to be generous to other people.

You held my hand as I gave birth to my own child and you showed me how to become a mother!

You have been my role model, my biggest fan, and my greatest hero!

It was not until I became a mother myself that I understood everything you gave and everything you sacrificed for me, Michael and Matthew while we were growing up.

You worked hard every single day as a nurse and a business owner to give us the things we wanted and everything we needed.

You sacrificed your time to help us with our homework. You drove us to every practice, every game, every dance competition or school event we had and you did it all without complaint.

You made sure we knew we were loved and taken care of. You gave us stability, security, and hope for our futures. You let us dream without judgement and become whatever we wanted to be as adults.

As children, we don’t always think about these things as they are happening and how important they are or how sometimes they can be difficult to maintain, until we become adults ourselves and have our own responsibilities and our own children, but you did it all with such grace and strength.

I have so many happy memories growing up. Holiday parties with our grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles all gathered for food, presents, family traditions, laughter and so much love. Family vacations to the Ann’s Beach House, Patty’s Lake house, Disney World, and trips to amusement parks like Dorney park and Busch gardens.

But I also remember the day I broke your heart. I will never forget the look on your face and the sound of you crying behind your bedroom door. I had not seen you cry too many times in my life so when I heard you crying that day I knew I had hurt you deeply.

I was sixteen years old and I had just told you I wanted to go live with my dad. I made the choice without any warning and I watched your face sink as the words came out of my mouth. When I was done speaking, you agreed to let me go then you went into your bedroom and closed the door. I remember following you and listening at the door as you began to cry.

After listening for a few minutes I couldn’t take that sound anymore and I remember opening the door and wrapping my arms around you so you knew that my decision wasn’t because I didn’t love you because I did love you very much. I just didn’t know how to be there anymore.

I had been having a hard time with friends and school after Michael and Matthew had graduated highschool and moved out of the house. I went from having two older brothers in the same highschool as me to having no one around in school who was on my side no matter what. I seemed to be constantly fighting with my friends, so I skipped school repeatedly to stay away from them and the drama that came with that.

I knew I couldn’t keep going on like that so my solution at the time was to start over somewhere else. I thought living with my dad in another state would be the answer. You knew that it was not, but you didn’t fight me on the decision even though you knew who my dad was and all the things he had done. It killed you to let me go but somehow you knew I had to figure that out on my own.

It wasn’t until years later that I found out the truth about him and when I did I was all the more grateful that YOU were my mother and even though my choice to leave hurt you, you stayed in my life every step of the way!

Since then you have become more than just my mother, you have become my best friend and an incredible grandmother to my kids.

You are the person I call when I am happy or when I am sad.

You are the listening ear and words of wisdom when I need advice.

You are the first person I want to share my good news and accomplishments with.

You are the person I enjoy spending vacations and holidays with.

You are the one I like to tell my crazy ideas to.

You are the one who inspires me everyday to become a better woman, to become a better mother, and to become a better human being.

All of this is why Michael, Matthew and I have permanently marked our bodies with art in honor of you and all that you have done, all that you continue to do and be in our lives. We could not have asked for a better person to be our mother and our friend!

We love you so much than words can ever say!

Your Daughter,

Melanie Rose