Today, I want to take this time to wish my son, Happy Birthday! He turns 26 years old and I am so proud he calls me ‘mom.’

In my early teens, God blessed me with a dream in which I was pregnant. I say it was a blessing because in that same dream, He told me I would never give birth to a child of my own. Through this dream, He gave me the experience of being pregnant.

I met my son’s dad when his son was just 4 ½ years old. It was love at first sight on my part for both of them. I remember reading him bedtime stories, tucking him into bed, and wrestling with him for hours when he was little. I would wipe away his tears when he got hurt, hugged him when he was sad, and rocked him to sleep when he didn’t feel well.

When he first began calling me mom, I remember how weird it felt. I told my husband, one day, that I needed to change my name. When he asked why, I replied with “mom, mommy, ma, mother, mom, mother, ma mommy…” Since I never expected to be a mom, I never prepared myself for the endless inquires of a little boy. I eventually got used to it and even learned to appreciate that he loved me enough to call me mom.

When he was about six, we took him to a monster truck show. Grave Digger was his favorite truck. He fell asleep in my arms and I carried him all the way back to the car. He would crawl in bed with us and we used to laugh and tease him that he would one day self-combust because of how hot he got when he was sleeping. Thankfully, he never did!

I enjoyed helping him with his homework, going to school functions, and was so very proud watching him play his trumpet in the school band. We went to church together and I believe it was because of him, that his father also started attending with us.

This young man is as stubborn as his father and at the same time as kindhearted and loving. He is always there to support his buddies and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Just like his dad, he is a romantic at heart and is fiercely loyal to those he loves.

Like all parents and their children, we have had our differences and our disagreements. There were times when his father and I wanted to, metaphorically speaking, strangle him. We always felt though, he would learn from his experiences. He has and continues to do so. One of the things I very much appreciate about him, is through the good times and the not so good times, he has never said the one thing a stepmom dreads hearing – “you are not my mom.”

Just because I did not give birth to him, doesn’t mean I cared any less for him. I was there through the thick and thin, the good and the not so good, the happy and the sad and I always will be there for him.

Son, you have blessed me with moments I never thought I would experience, presented me with challenges that have made me grow as a person, helped me to learn lessons one can only learn through raising a child. You and your father gave me a family I never expected to have and for that I can only say ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my heart!

I wouldn’t trade a single moment of our life together – not the good, the bad or any of the in between moments. They are memories I will always treasure. God gave me a precious gift the day He decided I would never give birth to a child. That is the day, He decided I would get to be your mom.

I love you, son. I pray for you always. May God bless you and keep you. May He guide you down His path and be with you always. May He hold you up in the difficult times and dance with you in the good times. Turn to Him always and your life will be blessed.

With all my love today, tomorrow, and always. Happy Birthday, Son!

Just for today, tell someone not only that you love them, tell them why you love them and appreciate them! You will both feel joy and happiness when you do!

MOM