Nineteen!

This little baby boy is turning nineteen today!

In some ways, it seems like just yesterday, and in other ways, I feel like he should be about thirty by now! I had no idea when I was holding him that first day in the hospital that the rest of his life would be a series of lessons in letting go. And that's how it's supposed to be. 

My baby boy has grown into a man and I am proud of his maturity and ability to go out into the world and do what God has planned for him to do. And I am thankful for how God has drawn Daniel to Himself and has guided us through each of those lessons (and continues to do that).

I have my spurts of "mom worrying," but most of it is just conjured up in my head. This year with Daniel away for his freshman year in college, I'd think of something to worry about and then I'd ask him about whatever it was the next time we talked. His response always set my mind at ease and I had to find something else to worry about. 

It's been a joy this year to watch Daniel make his way as a college student and find his new places on campus and in Knoxville. I realized earlier this year that God had truly answered my prayers for Daniel when I prayed that he would "grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52).

Happy Birthday, Daniel! I can't wait to continue to watch as God reveals all that He has in store for you this next year and into the next decade and beyond!

If you want to walk down memory lane with me, you can read some other birthday blog posts:
Eighteen
I Must Have Blinked
A Special Day in Our Family (Birth story)