To my parents...

It’s hard not to get emotional when you think about the parents that God put specifically in your life to raise, love, and care for you. I am so immeasurably blessed by the parents that God picked out for me {and for the little sister he gave me}. God knew the two exact people that I needed.

I think sometimes we forget or take for granted the people in our lives that mean the most to us. I don’t want to wait to tell my parents how incredibly thankful I am for them. Sometimes it's hard for me to actually tell them, out loud, the amount of gratitude I have. And I want the world to know my respect for them.

When I think about their steadiness, faithfulness, and love it’s hard not to tear up. I understand so much more now that I am a parent, the unconditional love that you have for your child. I can only imagine the hurt and sorrow that our children can bring us when they do things that go against what we’ve taught them. Words cannot begin to describe the love, admiration, and thankfulness I have towards my parents.

I want to thank my mom and dad for raising me and teaching me first to know and love God. Thank you for making God a priority in our lives. Thank you for taking us to church weekly. Thank you for making us sit down at the dinner table together every night. Thank you for not giving me everything I wanted, but teaching me the satisfaction of hard work and working toward a goal. Thank you for showing me God’s love through you and your marriage. Thank you for caring enough about me to tell me “no.” Thank you for being there for me when I wasn’t acting in a way that was pleasing to you. Thank you for never turning your back on me through the hard times. Thank you for making tough choices that I know hurt you to make. Thank you now for your friendship. Thank you for your example in parenting. Thank you for being there as a rock and mentor to Blake and I for spiritual guidance. Thank you for the legacy you are making.

Mom and Dad - I love you.