The struggles between my mom and I are no secret. She raised me as a single mother from the time my father died when I was 8. Most of my writings have been inspired by our see-saw relationships, exagerated or not. Being a daughter, I tend to blame her for the things that have gone wrong and unfortunatly, I tend to think towards the negative aspects of our relationship rather than the positive things she has given me.

Now, being a mother myself, I am able to understand my mother alot better. I realize that children are not born with instructions or rule-books. I realize that mothers are not super-heros, merely everyday women who make mistakes just like everyone else. And I realize, that regardless of the mistakes she may have made, she has done a pretty good job raising me.

These letters contain every word I have wanted to say to her. Some of them are heartwarming, others rather off-putting. They contain raw truths. I don't know how to sugar-coat, so I don't. Honestly, I hope she never reads them simply because they would cause a shattering blow to the thin ice we already dance around, careful not to say the things we really feel.

But, when I write, I release myself and my inner-truths. The thin ice doesn't matter and the words spill forth so I can manage to keep my own sanity. I guess these letters are the words that my brain is fighting to get out. These are the letters to my mother.