Happy Mother’s Day From Nicole Welch

In celebration of Mother's Day on Sunday May 13, we asked Patch readers to write a letter to their mother and let us deliver it. This is Nicole Welch's letter to her mom:

Mom, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for me. I really would never be where I am today without you by my side. Thank you for always sticking by me, during the best and worst of times.

Thank you for cleaning up my scratches and comforting me when I would hurt myself after playing outside. I was always managing to find a way to fall and get cut up.

Thank you for taking over when I would fight with my brother (even though I wasn’t always right). Who knows what would have happened if you wouldn’t have stepped in. You always reminded us that me and my brother would always have each other throughout life — whether we liked it or not.

Thank you for always reminding me that there were some relationships and friendships that were not worth it. You always said, It is always important to put yourself first and not worry about what others are doing. Someone will walk into your life when you are least expecting it. Even though I would never listen, you were definitely right.

Thank you for sticking around for my school events when I was younger. I know you didn’t have to be there, but it was always nice knowing you were there to support me and cheer me on. Hearing you scream my name and use the air horn from the stands gave me the extra courage to push myself even harder.

Thank you for letting me be my own person throughout the years, for letting me go through heartbreak just to learn that the right man was out there somewhere, but also being by my side through the aftermath, letting my cry about meaningless drama that was only temporary.

Thank you for letting me make my own mistakes and allowing me to learn from them. You helped me understand that mistakes are part of life and that learning and growing comes along with that. Several piercings and tattoos later, you are still by my side because you know that I am much more than what is on the outside.

Thank you for setting an example for me and proving that pain is temporary. You truly are the strongest person I know and I wouldn’t change that for the world. You always know what to say even when you really shouldn’t. The amount of crap that you put up with makes me stronger every day because I know it is possible that one day, maybe I’ll be as strong as you.

But mainly, thank you for loving me more than anything in the world. Thank you for being my role model, my rock, my mother. That is something that can never be replaced. Though I may not say this enough, I love you, Mom, more than you will ever know. Happy Mother's Day!

—Nicole Welch

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See all Mother's Day Letters here.

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For next month's Love In A Small Town feature, we want to help you give Dad the best Father's Day gift ever. Write him a heartfelt letter to tell him how much he means to you, email it to locallove@patch.com and we'll feature it in your town's newsfeed on Father's Day. Get more details here.

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Photo Credit: Nicole Welch