Twenty-Two

I can’t believe Erica turns twenty-two today…

* When she was six, a strange man entered her life (me).
* When she was seven, she and her mom moved in with him.
* When she was eight, they moved her to a children’s home with them.
* When she was nine, she took up the sport of volleyball.
* When she was ten, she welcomed a little sister to the world.
* When she was eleven, her parents moved her away from all her friends.
* When she was twelve, she made a whole set of new ones.
* When she was thirteen, she started playing club volleyball.
* When she was fourteen, she led her high school team to state.
* When she was fifteen, she did it again.
* When she was sixteen, she learned how to drive.
* When she was seventeen, she was named volleyball team captain.
* When she was eighteen, she lost all her stuff in a hurricane.
* When she was nineteen, she moved to Hattiesburg.
* When she was twenty, she settled on a college major.
* When she was twenty-one, her family moved to California.

And now she is twenty-two. A senior in college, poised to graduate in just a few months and be turned loose on the world. She has been through a lot and has handled it all with style. She has much to be proud of, as do I. Namely, her.

I hope she has a happy birthday today.