Cate’s birthday is perfectly situated right between my birthday and Mother’s Day. Her life is a gift over and over again for me. She made me a mom and her life continues nudging me to be a better person.
Another woman gave her life and chose me to be her mom – a gift beyond anything I can truly adequately express my appreciation. Truthfully, as I get old and my firstborn girl gets older, the gift of adoption seems more complicated and more beautiful. In so many ways parenting Cate has come naturally because she’s so much like me. Physically, I didn’t think she’d look like Greg and me, but she blends right in, a sweet reminder God had a plan greater than anything I could have scripted. And, believe me, I tried.
Cate is a kind leader, country music fan, aspiring photographer, an introvert who loves a night at home with no plans, and a basketball fan. She’s finishing her freshman year and already thinking about what comes next. I’ve watched her navigate shifts in some friendships this year.
I joke about her building a house on the other side of our property, but maybe I’m not really joking. My daughter is someone I have chosen since the day I met her in an Indiana hospital room and will always want to choose. It’s a sweet thing to truly like the girl you’ve been gifted to raise.
I love having Cate sit next to me upfront in the minivan so we can talk about her day and our lives. Rachel asks regularly from the seat behind us, “Why do you guys always chit-chat?” I’m thankful we have so much to say to each other and that I get to be Cate’s mom.
Happy 15th birthday, Catherine Anna. Your life is a gift to me, your dad, your brother, your sister, your relatives, your friends, and the world. Watching you grow and become has been another gift to me. I know you’re going to do great things because you live out the story God began before you were even born. Let’s keep chit-chatting about it all.
*****
Look back on her life: One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Baptism. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Of course, you can read more about her birth, adoption story, and early life in my book, “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” too.
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