I was going to enter the Martina McBride mother daughter contest but was too late.  I thought I’d share what I had written with you.  I am sure some will relate.

They say in life everything happens for a reason. Try making that statement to a young mother who has just given birth to a daughter she waited for all her life. Try telling her that the tiny newborn has had some complications and it is "being looked into".

When my little darling was born that saying just was not anything I understood. My daughter was born with a disorder so that her adrenal glands do not produce what most of ours do. She requires daily medication to replace it. This condition started in utero when her body began to form without the properly functioning adrenals. This caused some complicated physical birth defects and a controversial choice to cosmetically repair them was considered.

Even with my strong faith in God it took me a while to grasp why on earth He would give me this special child. What was I going to do with her? She was absolutely adorable but what lie ahead?

But is was she who would make me realize just how much He loved me, just how much He knew I was capable of handling, the one He knew would be best suited for this task.

I heard a song once that said ’He could have given me the stars above or the sun or the moon, instead He chose to show his love when we gave me you".

You can’t help but wonder what you did wrong. Why me? People ask themselves. Was it the smoking, drinking, staying out late, not minding my parents when I was younger, hanging out with the wrong crowd? A payback of sorts? After all I had my son while I was still in High School then left him with relatives at age four to join the army for college and health benefits. I ran around like a crazy person those first couple of years. What could have caused all this?

Nearly six years after joining the military I met a man I was crazy in love with who had just as "busy" of a past. We married a year later. A year after that we had our daughter. We had left the Army, moved close to family for support and when she was 18 months old we started the surgery process.

Some of those years in the beginning were pretty tough. Anytime she was sick we were in ER, a fever of 101 was life threatening, the flu, chicken pox outbreaks, a broken bone was all very trying. She would lie in the twin sized hospital bed, with me squeezed in next to her, crying asking why she had to have "this". Why she had to deal with this when other kids were out playing sports, skating and having sleepovers.

Through hidden tears (and a not so private bout with depression which in itself caused a whilwind of emotions) I would simply explain to her that God loved her and wanted to give us a little reminder of His daily presence in our lives and was just using her as our guide. Since she was very young this was our explanation to her and she has lived with and understood her place in this great big world.

Where there was once sadness, anger and hurt with questions about every decision I made for her. Was it for the best? Am I doing things right? Have I forgotten a medication dose, a dr’s appointment, a test? Is she going to pull out of this one? Now thats been replaced with peace, happiness and a hope for her future. Our corner has always been full with support from family members, friends and church families in any times of need or comfort. She is an unbelievably strong little girl who has a mommy with such intense and expressive love for her she will never really be able take it all in.

I know I was put on the earth just to be her mommy and she was put on this earth just so I would never forget that. I am aware that someday soon she will leave and maybe go away to college and on to greater successes in life. Weather or not she will be a mommy herself someday remains to be seen but either way she will forever carry "us" in her heart as a daughter who tells her friends that I am her best friend. I know sometimes she sure has been mine.