“Long live the rose that grew from the concrete, when no one ever cared.”

This is one of my mom’s favorite quotes from the artist, Tupac. To her, it means that the beauty that grows from ugliness is unappreciated and goes unnoticed but still makes the world a better place.

I think, in a lot of ways, sacrifices are unseen and unheard. To give up something whether that be time, energy, money, or resources is what makes up a hero. And that becomes exponentially harder when you’re doing it alone. Single moms don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve and, usually, more criticism than warranted.

In my mother’s case, she didn’t choose to be a mom but she chose to love her child unconditionally. She broke herself, physically and mentally, to make sure I was taken care of – way too many sleepless nights and not enough thank yous on my part.

But she never asked to be praised for being a single mom, or a mom at that. All she wanted was to make the world a better place, whether that be through her work or her son.

My mom’s beauty shines through most with her intelligence, her work, and her strive to make her community better. For all my life she has dedicated every lesson to “how does this help someone else?”

During Christmas, presents were earned by volunteering at shelters and having conversations with the people who lived there. I can remember her telling me “we have so much, you need to help.”

This mindset of giving and sacrificing led me to want to change the world through my strength, which is writing.

I was encouraged by my mom to write. Not just write, but tell stories that made people feel something.

I can remember her calling my writing a gift and it made me feel comfortable leaning into journalism as a potential career. For that, I will never be able to repay her.

I’ve won awards, traveled and been praised all for my writing but my biggest accomplishment is making my mom cry tears of pride and joy when she reads something I wrote. It’s the greatest praise I could ask for.

Obviously, growing up a boy with a single mom I always got the question “do you wish you had a dad instead?”

The answer was always the same.

No.

I don’t need a dad to “learn how to be a man.” All I needed was a parent who wanted to be involved. She taught me accountability and dependability. I didn’t want an absent dad, I had a present and an incredible mom.

I don’t think I’d have the same opportunities without her. I owe her so much.

I love you mama.