Last Tuesday our boy turned seventeen. I imagine that he thinks he’s nearly grown but I watch with anticipation to witness the avenues that God will use to continue to mold this young man into His image and to create in Paul a heart wholly sold out to Christ.
I have seen some amazingly magnificent wonders that the Father has created. I have flown the span of our country and viewed and walked in the Appalachian, Ozark and Rocky Mountains. I have seen the ocean waves of the Atlantic and the Pacific and tasted the salty waters. I have played in the white sands on the gulf coast.
I have also seen, heard and read many wondrous works that God’s children have created. I have driven on the Golden Gate Bridge and was privileged to see the Twin Towers while they stood. I have heard music that has to have caused the angels to weep from the sheer beauty of it.
Yet, as I think on all of these incredible memories, I realize that nothing in my life has given me as much pleasure as being a mother and watching my children grow into the people that they were created to be when first formed in God’s mind. Watching my children take their first steps was far more incredible that standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hearing my children speak their first words was finer music than all the orchestras that I have ever heard.
So today, I celebrate my youngest son, Paul. I celebrate his life and the life that God continues to give him. Daily, I thank God for the most perfect gift – the gift of being a mom.
Family portrait: Paul at 5 years old.

Paul at 17.
Paul and Elizabeth on his birthday.