Happy birthday to my beloved son

My firstborn is 22 years old today. It is such a blessing and a privilege to be his mother. He makes me proud every day. He has grown into such a fine and responsible man, yet still goofy and playful as ever. Story of the day: Last weekend he sat at our kitchen counter with my cell phone bill, convinced I was paying too much. He patiently circled items on the cryptic, pages-long, tiny-print billing statement and then called the cell phone company, going through his questions one by one and getting explanations, while having a good humored conversation with the customer service representative along the way. When he put down the phone he had shaved—wait for it—more than one hundred dollars a month from our family plan. This is usually the kind of thing I do for our family, but I've been too overwhelmed to pay close enough attention. I cannot tell you the relief I felt, and how taken care of our son made me feel.

Happy birthday to you my most beloved son. I am forever grateful you chose to be ours.