Dear Mom,

Dear Mom,

We have never met.

I don’t know your name, hair color, where you live, your profession, your favorite food, if you drink coffee, and if you do if you like creamer in your coffee.

I do; however, know one thing about you. I know you love me very much. You not only loved me enough to carry me for 9 months, which I can only imagine was very difficult emotionally and physically, but you loved me enough to place my needs above yours and give me to a family you knew would be able to better provide for me. For that I am especially grateful.

Now, I want you to know one thing about me. I love you very much. You gave me the opportunity to grow up with two parents who loved me dearly. You gave me the opportunity to become myself, to play baseball and football, to love Chinese food (I thought I was Chinese at one point), to be a Boy Scout, to make lots of friends, to love my family, to get married to a great wife, to develop a passion for medicine, and to love the Lord. I know you did get not to witness any of the happy moments in my life, but I can assure you that you were an integral part of each of those moments.

I never forgot you during those times, and I never will.

I don’t know if we will ever meet, but I promise you that I think about you daily and I love you so much for what you did for me.

-Your son, Joey