he was born a hippie.

Eighteen Years--
Within 18 years you can have a really strong marriage with many children.
Within Eighteen years you can have a college degree & a firm, steady job.
Within 18 years you could have traveled the world, a couple times.
Within Eighteen years you could be falling in-love with your best friend & asking for their hand in marriage.
Within 18 years you could be standing in a hospital room waiting for your first child to be born.
Within Eighteen years you could have fought cancer, twice.
----
Or, within 18 years you could just be starting to live your life.
You could be dreaming of what your life will be like once you finally 'start' living.
Once you make that leap from high school to college.
Eighteen is a big age, it's a life-changing age, at least for most.
It's the age you are when you graduate high school.
It's the age you are when you move out of your parents house & begin life on your own.
It's the age you are when you experience your first kiss.
Or the moment you experience real love.
It's the moment you decide what you're going to do for the rest of your life.

{18 years<--It can be a long time, but to this boy, it's just the beginning. It's his next chapter. It's where his new story begins. It's the pages he's been wanting to turn to for years now, but has always been scared to as well.}

I believe that in a different life, he was born a hippie.
He has a crazy sense of style & he has beautiful hair.
He never fears what people think, he's different because of that.
He's stubborn & silly.
He's crazy & a musician.
This boy, loves the craziest things & sticks to it.
He has blissful dreams & he will someday live them out, for all they are worth.

This boy, today he's Eighteen-->18 years of age.
venturing out, exploring new horizons.
Traveling to new heights.
Finally doing what he's said he'd do for years.
making those 'final' decisions & going. Running.
Diving into something new. Something radical.

Today--he may not even know it, but there's a girl out there that is missing something in her life & one day she'll realize it was him. All along, it was that boy. No matter how many years it takes, for those two worlds to collide into one. --It'll happen.

Eighteen years-->in that time frame. He's become a friend, a brother, a son & most likely someone that most boys look up to.
He's left footprints on lives he's come into contact with & he's shown Christ through his actions.

Today Eighteen years ago, this boy was born. God wrote out his life book & sent him on his way to two lovely parents. Today--we celebrate him.

Grace.