My Morgie

There is nothing that makes you feel older than when one of your children is having a birthday. We celebrated Morgan's 19th birthday yesterday and even though I knew it was coming, I woke up Sunday realizing that nineteen years have gone faster than I could have imagined. As the day went on, so many memories ran through my head. There are birthdays that jump out in my mind and some that I don't remember very well. However, there was one that kept popping in my head yesterday.

It was the year that Morgan turned two. It was shortly after my first divorce and I remember the family party we had at my house. It was a Lion King birthday. I can still picture the cake, the balloons, and hear all the chatter of family as we celebrated. As she blew out her candles that night, her bleach blonde ponytail bounced around and her little hair bow on top truly reminded me of what a gift she was. I loved the noise of family that night, but after everybody left it was painfully quiet. It reminded me that I was a single mom and I was scared to death to have the responsibility of raising my daughter on my own.

That night, after the cake was eaten and the party was over, I tucked Morgan into bed. Shortly after, the storms started and my little birthday girl was racing into my room. I let her snuggle up close. No matter how lonely I have been at times in the past, I never allowed my girls to sleep in my bed, but that night was an exception. With her little fingers feeling my face in the dark, I asked her what she was doing. She said, "I am looking for your smile." She proceeded to tell me, "Get ready!" I asked her, "For what?" Then as the storms continued, she told me that God was taking our picture for her birthday. With every lightening flash in the sky, she would shout out, "CHEESE". We giggled in the dark way beyond bedtime.

Even though I didn't have a personal relationship with Christ when Morgan turned two, I couldn't deny that there was a God who created that precious little girl and that He loved me enough to allow me to be her mommy. At the time, the thought of God taking our picture was cute. Now I know that God knew every aspect of my life and every decision I was going to make way before I did. He knew the pretty and the not-so-pretty and He still loved me enough to let me be Morgan's mom....Landon's mom and now Harrison's and Abby's.

If you are a parent, you may be planning a birthday party at some point in the next year. The absolute best gift you could ever give your child is the gift of taking them to a church that loves Jesus and preaches the Bible in its entirety. That gift will give them truth and love that will increase their ability to deal with the tough stuff in life. It will give them the confidence to face challenges. It will help them to know that they are never alone when they are away from you. It will increase their self esteem to know that they can accomplish big things. It will teach them that they are worthy. Celebrate with your kids that God doesn't make mistakes and that the Creator of birth-days has a photo album with their name on it.