In all walks of life, it is always best to be open and honest. No one is perfect, I know I’m sure as hell not. Sometimes we get afraid, or we feel like we can’t say what we really mean. Pictured above is me with the woman who instilled that in me. She is the most beautiful and caring woman I know, and I’m proud to call her my mom. Isn’t she stunning?

Over the years, my mom has given me the strength to be myself, and enough knowledge to make me extremely stubborn. We’re Italian, so being hard-headed is embedded in our DNA. With being stubborn, I have learned to fight not only for what I think is right, but to stand up for myself.

Recently, I was faced with something that absolutely destroyed me: the loss of trust. Normally, I would just leave and move on, but I decided to sit on it and figure out how I was going to deal with it. Over the past week, I’ve had some time to reflect on everything that happened and come to terms with everything. I haven’t really changed my view on it, but I’m no longer angry or hurt by what took place. It took every ounce of strength my mom gave to get through this.

I want to thank my mom for being there for me, no matter how awful I was being. From name calling to the terrible twos that she’s still trying to get me to grow out of, I am amazed her hair isn’t white! I hope she knows how much I love her, and that even though I’m getting older, I will always need my mom. I will always need to hear her say “cool beans”, and to tell her terrible jokes which I love.

I love you, mama!