A Love Letter To My Apple Dumpling

Dear Dump,
(I promise I will never call you that in public or around your friends.)

I've loved you since I found out that you were growing inside of me.  I cried.  I laughed.  I was scared.  I was proud.  You made a difference in me that day, my birthday, when I found out the news that Mama was gonna be a Mama again.  I had a lot of things that needed changing in me before you were born and those changes began on that birthday in 2003 when I was 30 years old.

Fast forward to April of the next year when you were born.  The day you came along was one of the best days of my life.  I don't think I've ever cried that much with happiness in my heart.  And that's what you've given me in your ten years.....so much happiness.

From the moment your feet hit the floor until you lay your pretty little strangy head down at night, you're happy.  (You can thank me for that strangy hair, Miss Priss!)  You've always looked at the bright side of life and found a way to leave the negative in file 13, where it belongs.  (That's Military talk for the trash can, btw.)  I've never been able to give you a lot of things that other children have because we live in the poverty level and you've never complained much about that.  You've always been happy with the hugs and kisses and the little things like making muffins or brownies or clubhouses in the woods out of whatever junk you can drag up.  That says a big whole bunch about your character.  It says that you're a survivor.  You're a lover.  You're good.  And yes, baby, YOU ARE SO GOOD!

Your passion for nature and animals is one of the greatest things about you.  You get that from me, you know.  We're nature lovers.  Being outside is our thang!  I always wanted to have a career helping animals or some type of scientist who studies bugs or frogs or something like that.  You're so much like me!  The way you talk when you play reminds me of how I used to do at your age and you didn't even know me back then.  Wait, I didn't know you back then, either.  It's like you're me, only without the nasty attitude!  Now I'm not saying you're perfect because you have those days when you can smart-mouth your tail into making me totally lose my beans on ya!  We both know that.  What I'm saying is, I'm proud of you because you're like me......only better.  You have a gift that is animals.  I Pray that you find a way to do something with that gift that I wanted to do, but never got around to.

I love you, Dump.  More than you'll ever know.  More than you'll ever be loved.  You made me a better person, ya know.  I was on a really bad path in life before you came along and having you in my life changed how I felt about everything.  Especially how I felt about myself.  You were my second chance.  You were my reason and my motivation to do the right things and make the right choices.  I had gone on long enough doing the wrong things and you made me realize that we all deserved a healthy Mama.  A Mama who could and would do what's right for her family.  Thank you for saving my life, baby.  Because you truly did.

Mama loves you.  Muches and bunches.  xo