Dear Mom,

Thanks for teaching me that you can say anything in the world - it's just the way you say it.

Thanks for always dropping everything to help in a crisis.

Thanks for teaching me to love reading.

Thanks for all the family vacations.

Thanks for teaching me to "be nice."

Thanks for teaching me by example that if you try to look your best, you feel better.

Thanks for coming to every. single. performance I've ever had.

Thanks for always paying because "you're the mom."

Thanks for single-handedly getting our family through the postpartum crisis of '03.

Thanks for never throwing your hands up and giving up on me when I'm cranky.

Thanks for thinking I'm cooler than I am.

Thanks for being one of our family's biggest fans.

And when I was little:
Thanks for flying with me to L.A. because I really, really, really wanted to perform in that talent showcase (even though I'm sure you knew what the odds were I would be "discovered").

Thanks for re-dyeing my favorite dress after I tried to get that spot out with bleach.

Thanks for making homemade Play-doh for Brandy and me (just like they did on Zoom).

Thanks for giving us boundaries.

Thanks for making road trips fun.

Thanks for letting me stir the milk, butter and "cheese powder" in the macaroni and cheese.

Thanks for taking us to Jazzercise with you - I'll never listen to Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans" without thinking of it.

But, mostly:
Thanks for loving us (and me) with every fiber of your being, to the absolute, very best of your ability.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day.  I love you.