HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY BOY!

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Premonitions, intuitions, God's way of slipping us information...letting us know that something is going on...Something we need to know. I knew it instantly-I was pregnant. A Saturday morning romp before work, a few stolen moments with my husband and new life filters in. I remember knowing this in my gut...hearing the words in my head, "You are pregnant."

Feeling disbelief and fear, not wanting to accept the knowledge, I did what every good ostrich does-buried my head. Ignoring the heads up from God that I had received an unplanned bonus. A gift that would keep on giving for eternity. Two months later, I knew, beyond a doubt-that new life -was definitely in transit.

As the baby grew, I also grew accustomed to the miracle of life growing within. The mental maneuvering that somehow melted into feelings of motherly pride surprised everyone, even me. My teammate and I worked, played and exercised in perfect harmony. The bundle of joy, two weeks late, made his debut just in time for the ten p.m. news. It's true what they say, it was Love at first sight. He was gorgeous and gifted and we went everywhere together...I'll never forget the day a worried cop flagged us down as we speed walked along the levee...I guess he'd never seen a baby and his mom move so fast.

Today, we both move a little slower...often in opposite directions...and constantly pulling at one another's emotional chords. But my firstborn son Johnny is still gifted and gorgeous, still full of unusual surprises and still the object of my affection-my hopes and my dreams.

You see Johnny boy-as we call him, blazed the trail for his four brothers...cleared the landing pad by removing all doubt that having a baby is the single best gift anyone could ever hope for. Had he not surprised his dad and me...entered our lives without our permission-I may still, to this day, be considering whether or not to have children. What a life altering difference- one child can make.

On this day-his 24th birthday-I am grateful for the memories and the monumental wisdom of God who anointed our family with such a rare example of human life... and I am praying for his continued blessings as he molds and shapes...inspires and uplifts Johnny-so that he will understand the truth of his destiny as an extraordinary leader whose place in history will be defined by how well he incorporates his heart, mind and soul into each and every choice he makes...from this birthday forward!

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