A Decade of Parenting!!

So my little girl turns 10 today. Wow!!! I remember the day she was born so clearly. How nervous, excited and emotional I was. How small, fragile and beautiful she was. How the realization of just how much my life would change hadn't fazed me yet.
Nine months before when I had first found out I was pregnant, I was floored! Not because I wasn't happy, but because I was surprised I was pregnant at all. A diagnosis as a teenager that I would never likely have children kept me from dreaming about it before. Yes I had thoughts that I would adopt someday, but that day as I looked at the results of the 4th home test I had done I was in disbelief. One thing I had realized is that God had truly healed me. I thank him for many things of course but besides my salvation, giving me the gift of my daughter is the best thing that has ever happened to me. An although I divorced now, I still would not change a thing because the gift my Ex and the Lord gave me is priceless. I would endure any suffering and hardship ( and I have had to do some of that already) for the sake of my daughter.
I think of the selfish being I was before I had kids and wonder how I made it at all. Kids make you better, smarter, more compassionate. They teach, entertain, and love without measure. The lessons I have learned as a parent have helped me reach more of my potential in many ways, and I would never change that. Any good parent will tell you that having children is more of an education than school itself.

Sometimes its scary ( but the good kind) how much a chip off the block she is, so much smarter than me it seems sometimes. Beautiful, articulate, artistic, compassionate, kind, funny, loving and God fearing are a few of the things that can be attributed to my daughter. To know her is to love her. My hopes and dreams for my daughter are without bounds. Today is dedicated to her.