Officially, A Man...

Today is my son's 21st birthday. Seems like yesterday he was born. I would like to say that today he is a man, but it would be a lie. He's been a man for quite some time, and I have just failed to acknowledge it...probably because I hate admitting that my baby boy is grown and doesn't need me any more. But that's not true...they never grow past the need for their parents' love, do they? And I will always be able to give that, no matter what the future may bring.

Happy Birthday, my strong, capable, handsome son! I love you more than you will ever know, and today, on this milestone celebration of your birth, I honor you for all you have accomplished and overcome. All the obstacles that have been thrown repeatedly in your way over the years have become stepping stones to greater things, and I am so proud of the way you have learned how to handle yourself. Your resilience and strength shine out of you as a testament to all who come in contact with you of the fact that you have arrived at a new phase of your life, ready and able to meet it head-on.

In just a few short months, you will be holding your first-born in your arms, much as I held you 21 years ago today, and the enormity of that event will flow over you as you look down in that trusting face and realize that you hold the keys of potential for so much of what she will become, and that your job will be to shape and mold her into the beautiful confident, independent woman she will be. No father could be better equipped to prepare her for hardships and disappointments, for no father has ever had more of an uphill climb than you, my son. And no father could ever be more prepared to bestow so much time and love on his child, for no father has ever fully understood the impact of a strong father figure on a child's life more than you do. You've learned that the hard way, too, my son.

You're past the hard part, now....look full into the face of the rising sun, and feel its warmth and brightness welcoming you into a new day.

Be well, and truly blessed, my beautiful, wonderful son. May the deepest and most heartfelt of Birthday wishes be to you today, and may you always know that you are loved beyond all reason.