I realized....

.... that if I wasn't so much of a hard-headed free spirit and did everything my mom said.. absolutely everything she said when I was a teenager..

a. Study hard
b. Fix your travel papers
c. don't let a man rule over your life...

I would have already traveled to places some people only dream about even before I became part of the employed population...

But I didn't do the things that she told me.. instead, I pretty much focused on NOT letting letter C happen. hahaha! You see, I am a heart girl. I would move mountains, count the stars, measure the volume of water on Earth with a teacup, and base all of my life's decisions on LOVE.

This aspect of myself has become as clear as the most flawless of diamonds to me now and I contemplate on whether I regret the decisions that I've made in my life. The truth is, I have made a LOT of bad decisions in my life, committed a lot of mistakes, cried and paid more than what was due for them.

But motherhood and falling in love with the man that gave me the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful blessing are not, and will never be part of the "mistake" list. After all, if I didn't go through all of the raucous, I would never have felt (and still feel) the kind of unconditional love and overwhelming bliss that I feel for this little one...

If asked what's my single most greatest achievement, I would say "Lucas" in a heartbeat. He and everything else that came along are the best things that have ever happened to me.

So when I think about the things that could have been, the places I could have seen, the events I could have taken part of, the wines, cups of coffee, and exquisite delicacies that I could have eaten in some of the most beautiful and romantic places in the world -- I look to my right, see one of God's most beautiful creations and feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and fulfillment.

And those feelings are what make me feel that I did everything right. <3