Eight

At 6:35 PM Gavin turned eight.

If someone would have told me, eight years and one day ago, just what this boy would mean and how he'd fill my heart with love, I'd never have understood.

I've loved him for as long as I've known of the idea of him... the second I saw and held him, it sealed the deal. I was head-over-heels in love.

But the kind of love that I have for him was something that I couldn't fathom before his birth. Love is love, right? Not really. The love for a child is all encompassing. It's a living and breathing love that takes on a personality and shapes us... it forever changes us.

Gavin made me "Mama." He gave me my new 'name' but more than that, he gave my life a true purpose... He made two people a family and with that love, we all have shaped a life that is meaningful.

And what do the next eight years have in store? I don't have any idea, but one thing I know for sure is that I'll be happy to walk that path, with my love-filled heart and this sweet boy at my side.