He did it…

…he turned 13 today.

While that and all that comes along with it, like being taller than his mother and the deepening of his voice astounds me, so does this:

• 13 years ago at this very minute I was 30 hours into labor with only 6 more to go.  It was my first baby and I didn’t know much but I knew I was doing something important.
• It’s a little freaky to live with someone so similar to yourself.
• When he sleeps, his face still looks exactly the way it did when he was a baby and it freezes me rendering it impossible for me to move from wherever I am for at least 10 minutes.
• The peace this boy brings to me is unmeasurable.  There is something about his presence that calms me.
• In 5 years I’ll be packing him up for college.
• In 3 years I’ll be taking him to get his driver’s license.
• In the past 13 years he has brightened our days, filled our home with laughter and grown into a wonderful older brother.
• As a child, Powell is nothing that I expected but everything I always wanted.

So happy birthday my first-born baby.  May God bless you in your 13th year, keep you safe and fill your life with a contentedness that always follows you.