A Letter To Three Beautiful Women In My Life

An outpouring of raw emotions, a spontaneous write-up, a heartfelt letter filled with the purest of thoughts.

...whatever you want to call this. This, is a letter...

to three of the most amazing mothers who have positively impacted my life.

Dear Mom,

I want to thank you for everything. 

I want to thank you for always being there for me from childhood to adulthood. For responding to my bratty and spoiled teenager ways with more love and kindness than any kid could ever ask for. For buying me hauls of clothing from your favorite department stores that you think would look good on me, whether requested or voluntary. For always teaching me to be kind to everybody, even when stubborn Michelle would not necessarily listen to your wise words of maternal wisdom. For being that Mom who cheers her kid on at every high school dance performance, sitting on the bleachers with your silent, but powerful presence.

And especially, for the little gestures that mean the world to me. Remember the one time (okay, make that multiple times) that I took an hour long bus ride from UC Santa Cruz to the San Jose Diridon Station for dance practice and you surprised me with my favorite usuals from Quickly's - a bag of fried shrimp balls and Coffee Milk Tea? Whether you knew it or not, I was beaming with happiness. It wasn't the food I was excited by; it was the heartfelt gesture. It was the fact that you took the time out of your day to do something that you knew would make me happy. Putting your children's happiness before your own happiness - that's what makes you a great Mom.

You are absolutely amazing mother and I am so lucky to have you in my life. There's not a day that goes by where you don't have a smile on your face or a positive attitude towards life - perhaps that's where I've channeled my positivity from. You never complain, nor do you ever get tired of playing the Mom role - which, makes you superwoman by the way. From sharing my biggest collaboration projects with you to telling you all about my dream chasing journey, you are always so supportive and full of praise. You have never told me that I'm never good enough when I'm at my lowest, or even at my highest. Instead, you continue to lift me up with an immense amount of support and positivity, no matter what I choose to do with my life. You appreciate, trust, and love me for who I am, not for who you want me to be.

Thank you for believing in my dreams, and thank you for believing in me.

Dear Oldest Sister,

As sisters who share a wide age gap of approximately 11 years, I have honestly never felt that I could ever grow close to you - that is, until I moved to Southern California to live with your family all the while pursuing my dream career. When I was in elementary school, you were already in college - it was pretty much impossible to grow close if I barely saw you, right? But I'm that type of person who believes that everything happens for a reason, and thus, I ended up moving to SoCal on a whim. Ever since I moved into your Orange County home in September 2016, I look back at everything that has happened in the past with a smile. Without establishing my passion for blogging, I wouldn't have made the move and I definitely wouldn't have been able to get to know you better. I know how rare it is these days for families to get along or feel even remotely connected due to the nature of our fast-paced lifestyles. Thus, I'm extremely thankful to know that we can grow closer together as sisters and make up for lost time.

I have learned so much about you in so little time since the move. Underneath that tough cookie exterior (I guess it comes with being the oldest sister in the family) is a very kind and caring individual, one who takes care of family instinctively, not out of obligation.

One thing that I absolutely love about our relationship is the fact that we can instinctually read each other's mind and sense each other's emotions without fail. I get pretty quiet when I'm stressed or in my work zone, and you know exactly when to back up and give me space. You put food on the table next to my workspace without question. You offer tips on how to organize my time better (and my hurricane of a room, hah). As the oldest daughter in the family, your instinct to care for others has always been around even before you became a mother. It has always been in your nature to be the responsible one, and seeing you play the Mom role of two just solidifies that.

And vice versa. I can easily pick up on your stress when you are juggling multiple errands back-to-back along with being a full-time mother of two children. Being a mother ain't easy, and I'll kindly give the middle finger to anyone who says motherhood is easy. It's not. From previous experience, I already know for a fact that I'm pooped after just one overnight babysitting shift. I guess that means I may not be quite ready for motherhood yet, haha. However, I respect and look up to you for setting a good example as a family-oriented Mom and I want to be just the same one day. 

Although I may not always be available due to work, I try my best to step in when I know that you need a break. Trust me when I say that I wish I could help out way more than I do at the moment. However, I try my best to give back and show you the little ways that I care, such as whipping up Paleo Pancakes for your pre-gym snack or babysitting the niece and nephew so you and your husband can have an intimate dinner or go on a weekend getaway. By living with your family for the last couple of months, I've learned and observed that your first priority in life is family. And as your youngest sister, I'm happy to do my best to provide for your family as well. After all, you are family to me.

Whether it is your own family or the family that we grew up in together, you always prioritize us. And that's what makes you beautiful.

Dear Second Oldest Sister,

I know for a fact that you've always been the caring sister to reach out whenever life threw me obstacles. You're the down-to-earth, funny one who likes to talk things out to make sure everything is okay. You come with reason and a heart full of love. You keep your circle tight, and I can tell that you truly appreciate and care for the loved ones in your life. You could care less about popularity or materialistic things; all you care about is family.

And I know just how much you love babies because you make it so damn obvious for people to see just how truly affectionate you are with our oldest sister's son and daughter. I can just imagine how much love you will have for your "mini-me".

Without a doubt, I already know that you'll be a great Mom. I cannot wait for that special day when I become an aunt for your first newborn child. Congratulations to your special miracle!

With this heartfelt letter that I spontaneously typed up the day a few hours before Mother's Day, I can safely say that this is the purest and most raw way that I can express my feelings for you all individually. I'm not going to lie - I teared up a few times as I continued to rewrite and edit this piece. Despite the tears, I knew that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to express these feelings once I began to reflect on the true meaning of Mother's Day. You three amazing women deserve to hear how much you have changed my life for the better and this is my gift to you. I hope that this intimate and heartfelt gift means more to you than any flower bouquet or box of chocolates that I can buy. Lastly, I wish you all a Happy Mother's Day, along with all of the other amazing mothers on this planet.

[Photography]
Jimmy Kurz by @jimmykurz

Much Love,