Look Who's Eight!

My sweet little Noah Bear is turning 8 today!!

8!!!

I've already been gently reminded by my husband that it's a bit pointless to get teary-eyed over the fact that Noah will be 12 in four years. I think he muttered something along the lines of, "Good grief, woman, get a grip!"

But I can't help it. My baby is growing up!!

I'm going to share something with all of you that might make me sound like like a looney..... but a few years ago, I was in a really terrible place - and in the midst of my despair, I heard God's voice speak to me.

Now, there are three times in my life that I've heard God's voice and this was one of them. And He said that Noah would talk between the ages of 8 and 9... so much in fact that I would jokingly regret praying for it all these years!

It's really taking a lot for me to write this out and publicly broadcast it. I mean, what if it wasn't God's voice talking to me? What if it was my imagination and I'm going to be embarrassed if he never talks?

It would be very easy for me to enter Noah's 8th year in a fit of despair because when Noah was little and had just been diagnosed with autism, 8 was the magic number that I always held in my head. Noah will be recovered by the time he's eight. Noah will be playing soccer and be in school and be like a typical eight year old. All this will be like a long forgotten dream when he's eight.

And, of course, here we are and things are pretty much the same... despite everything that we've tried.

But, despite that - and knowing that I may sound foolish and may end up being embarrassed in the end - I'm not going to be depressed about Noah's birthday by remembering what could have been. I'm choosing to enter Noah's 8th year by trusting that it was God's word that I heard and that Noah will talk in the next years.

I'm going to celebrate Noah's birthday by not what could have been... but what will be.

Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet boy!!! I love you, baby, to the moon and back. Mommy