Eight years ago Alisha & I were at Crestwood Hospital in Huntsville, AL awaiting the birth of our firstborn. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. I’ll never forget our nurse who kept calling Alisha, “Ashley.” And we didn’t know if this baby was a boy or a girl, but she was convinced it was going to be a girl. Through all the worry, anxiety & nerves that we felt this nurse who had good intentions but couldn’t get Alisha’s name right provided great comic relief for the two of us!
Then Will was born. And he was not a she! He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 1 ounce! A few days later Booby Cox called & was recruiting him to come play for the Braves. OK, I made that last part up — but it seems like since he was born he has loved baseball.
But what I love most is his heart for people & his heart for God. Last year he & I wrote this little song called, “You Love Me.” It was a song we wrote to help him overcome some fears he was facing. Somehow we shared this with his 1st grade class at school last year & I’ll never forget getting to play this song in chapel & hearing his entire class perform it for his elementary chapel.
Over the past eight years Will has taught me so much about a father’s love. I’ve learned so much about God’s love through becoming his father. So much I could have never known any other way. He has been an absolute blessing to our lives & I’m so incredibly proud of him. I don’t know how his story will unfold or what his future holds, but I’m so excited to have a front row seat to God at work in his heart & life. I’m proud to be his dad.
So I love you Will! Happy birthday bud! War Eagle & Go Braves!