My mother taught me everything.
 

As a child, she taught me how to tie my shoes and count by two’s.
She taught me that sometimes it’s okay to color outside of the lines.
Baking, swimming, dancing, singing; we’d spend countless hours together.
It was my mom who taught me that I could live a life full of adventure, 
with just a little bit of imagination.
 

By the time I was in middle school, she taught me all about the birds and the bees.
She had every answer to all of my loaded questions.
I learned what it meant to be passionate about something.
I learned why it was important to not judge a book by its cover.
She taught me that every one has a different story.
It was my mom who spent hours of her day reading with me, 
introducing me to the beauty of books.
 

In high school, she taught me how to overcome heartbreak.
She was there with Disney movies, pizza and buckets of ice cream.
I made the dance team. She was at every competition.
I got a C in Algebra. She woke up extra early every morning to take me to tutoring.
I made the drill team. She made it to every football game to see me perform.
I had a report on The Great Gatsby. She read the book, so that she can help me.
I got asked to prom. She spent countless hours doing my hair and make-up.
It was my mom who sacrificed herself; 
she was there when I didn’t even realize I needed her.
 

When college came along,
I quickly learned that being an adult is hard.
Being an adult is also extremely expensive.
I learned about credit and debt the hard way, without my mother’s knowledge.
Luckily, she didn’t give me grief when she had to teach me how to pay bills.
She often said, “Where you invest your love, you invest your life.”
It was my mom who taught me all about responsibility.
 

Most importantly, it was my mom who taught me how to LIVE. 
To Love the people who show you love, 
to Inspire to be the best version of me, 
to Venture into the unimaginable, 
& to Embrace my blessings.

My Mother taught me everything.
Except how to live without her.