About 31 years ago, my 32 year old mother "decided" that she wanted to have a baby girl. She got pregnant and in her third trimester, while my father was in California fighting a forest fire, Mom left him. As he told it to me, he came home to Kentucky and didn't know where she had gone.
Mom was tired of the drunkeness stupor that my father maintained the majority of his days. And as became a pattern for her, she basically just got up and left, moving to Florida, near one of her older sisters. There she gave birth to me (30 years ago today) , with her sister sitting in the waiting room awaiting the news. My aunt said that she had a dream that I would be a pretty baby with big feet and sure enough, it came true.
My life has not been ordinary and my aunt and I are amazed that I even survived being raised by my mother. But I give the credit to many people in my life--the aunt whom I've mentioned and another aunt, Mom's younger sister. Also, my guardian mother, who is not related but very much a part of me for the rest of my life. The presence of my Mom's older sister and my guardian mother gave me the desire to make someone proud. I didn't want to disappoint them after they had invested so much into my life.
So, I end today, the first day of my 30th year with a sentimental heart full of appreciation for all the people whom God truly orchestrated to produce a sweet melody of faith in the face of trials and hope in the midst of devastation and love that lightens the darkness. I look forward to a life abounding in everlasting peace and joy. | 
