A letter to (about ) my mum

Dear Mom
It is mother's day, a day that is over hyped and emotional and commercialized out the wazoo.
I love you, you are my mom.  Over the years you have given me life, love, careing, healing, education, support, and an unusual life with a lot of strengths.
I have given you a lot as well including a fair amount of hard time.
There is a lot that you have not seen eye to eye with me on.  The biggest gift that you have given me was the ability to fall on my face all by myself and find my own solutions to the mistakes I made.  In the end I hope that you have seen me find my strength and build a life that I can be proud of.
At present there isn't much that I can give you as a gift except for the hand knitted socks that you love and the work that helps you stay on an even keel and move right along.
This year has been very hard for you with health problems and weariness and emergencies, surgery, recovery, and having to find your way through a whole new diet and exercise regimen.  Falling down and breaking your nose didn't help and was just another bump in the road.
Meantime let me say that you have been a wonderful grandma for my boys and a great example to me as to what quiet courage and service looks like.  Your ability to get back up and keep going in the face of  great discouragement helps me stay in there and keep moving forward.  The fact that you are still working on your own emotional health gives me the idea that life doesn't shut down and people continue to grow up into life's later parts. 
You give me a lot to live up to.  My choices and options were way different than yours, at the same time some of the struggle was and is the same.  You are here, you love me as best that you can. 
Thanks mom I owe you so much.
Cath