A Thank You Letter to Myself, From One Mom to Another

As December comes to a close, the world feels quieter slower, softer.

The lights dim. The calendar turns. And for many moms, there’s finally a moment to breathe.

Before we rush into the new year, this space is for gratitude.

Not for perfection.

Not for productivity.

But for presence.

This is a thank-you to every mom who made it through this year in ways seen and unseen.

And today, that mom is me.

Dear Me,

As this year comes to an end, I want to pause and say something I don’t say nearly enough:

Thank you.

Thank you for showing up, even on the days you felt empty.

Thank you for getting out of bed when your body begged for rest.

Thank you for loving so deeply, even when it cost you sleep, energy, and pieces of yourself.

This year was not easy and I don’t need to pretend it was.

Thank you for learning as you went.

For figuring things out on the fly.

For trusting your instincts even when doubt crept in.

For doing the best you could with the information, support, and strength you had at the time.

You didn’t do everything perfectly and that’s okay.

You did it honestly.

You did it with love.

Thank you for the invisible work.

The mental load.

The emotional labor.

The planning, worrying, remembering, and caring that no one saw but you carried anyway.

Thank you for holding space for everyone else even when no one held space for you.

Thank you for surviving the hard moments.

The tears behind closed doors.

The overwhelm.

The days you questioned yourself.

The moments you felt like you weren’t enough.

You were enough even then.

As this year ends, I release the guilt.

The “I should have done more.”

The comparison.

The self-criticism.

I choose to honor my effort.

My growth.

My resilience.

I choose to be gentle with myself

because motherhood was never meant to be done with perfection, only with presence.

So here’s to me.

To the mom I was this year.

To the woman who kept going.

I am proud of you.

I am grateful for you.

And I will carry that gratitude with me into the new year.

With love,

Me 🤎