16 years ago today, my life started over. After a 4 mile walk, I finally went into labor...labor to have the most incredible little boy I've ever known! After a 26 hour labor, 2 broken ribs, God brought Jake into this world on March 10, 1994. I never knew I could love something so much. He looked so perfect!
16 years later - WOW! A double transplant, a couple of flatline worries, a mulititude of surgeries, a series of rejections and a shattered femur later and now my challenge is raising a teenager! I'm just blessed that God gave me the last 16 years. By no means were they easy years. Alot of growing up, alot of tears, alot of detouring off God's intended journey...but here I am. There's absolute truth to the saying that God does not give us more than we can handle. I'm living proof! As I look toward the next 16 years, I ask myself, "Did I instill the right morals and values; Did I love him enough? Does he forgive me for my mistakes?" Did I instill all the right things in him so he can survive in this huge, sometimes cruel world! I am here today to tell all those single moms out there there there's hope. I've been told that these teenagers will maeuver their way through this stage of their lives. Question is - can us, as parents, get through it unscathed? I'm willing to take that chance even if it means I cry when I have to make some hard decisions, or say goodbye when Jake heads off to college. I think back every day to how blessed I am to have had the last 16 years of Jake's life. He's an outstanding young man, who has developed strong survivor skills, along with a drive like I've never known, and a smile that would melt the Antarctic and a sense of humor that puts most comedians to shame. If you couldn't tell, I'm a proud momma. Even with the trials and tribulations over the last 16 years, I wouldn't trade a day of it. I love you, Jake!
