I've been trying to write something about my mom that would be interesting and not so overly- emotional that it would make all of you uncomfortable reading it...
My mom grew up in Appalachian poverty -the second-youngest in a family of nine kids where food was often scarce. Fate pushed her out of the Kentucky dirt and she has gone on to be one of two college graduates in her immediate family, and the only one of her siblings to hold a "professional" position in life. (I love my aunts and uncles and do not mean that statement to demean them in any way - just to illustrate the odds my mom overcame to get where she is.)
I think it's pretty typical that you don't realize the sacrifices your parents made for you until you are older and out on your own. Now that I've gone through a fairly large chunk of my adult life, I can see the many ways and times my mom went above and beyond for all of us, often at her own expense.
I am temperamentally opposite from her and we have vehemently disagreed on many deep-rooted things over the years. But...I have never once doubted her love for me, and that surpasses all.
Thanks, Mom.