A Thank You to My Mom

My mom raised three kids by herself while working two jobs. When I was little, I didn't understand how tired she must have been. I just knew that every night, no matter what, she read us a story before bed.

Sometimes she fell asleep halfway through. We'd giggle and finish the story ourselves, using funny voices.

I'm thirty now, with a kid of my own. Last week I was exhausted after a long day, and my son handed me a book and climbed into my lap. I almost said "not tonight." Then I remembered my mom.

I read the whole book, funny voices and all. He fell asleep on my chest before the last page.

The next day I called my mom and thanked her for every single one of those stories. She laughed and said, "You remember those?"

I remember all of them. They are some of the best gifts I was ever given.