Trent's 17 TODAY!

Scott here...time flew by...Trent is 17 years old today. I can't imagine my son turned 17 today. It was yesterday when I remembered his birth at Northwest Hospital. I shall never forget the moment when he was born. My mother (NeeNee) was also in the hospital at the same time. Sunday morning at 8:40, my lil man came out in to the world! You know...it was the happiest moment of my life. In the recent months before Trent was born, I've been working with Angie's speech. She's pretty self conscious with her speech and she won't talk in a room full of strangers. But I shall never forget that morning when Trent was born. After struggling all night with contractions and my feeble coaching - "Breath in, Breath out...baby, you can do it. Breath, Breath..."

"Shut up, Scott!!!"

"My bad!"

At 8:40, the little man came out! It was the most beautiful event I've ever witnessed. The nurse cleaned up Trent and handed him over to Angie...they wanted the mother to hold the baby first. Angie held him tightly, and then she held him up where she can see his face and said in a room full of strangers,

"I love you"

Everyone heard it. I saw it. There wasn't one dried eye in the room. Even the doctor had tears running down his face. The interpreter and the nurses were crying.

Just thinking about Trent and how much I love him makes me cry. I shall never forget the moment when Angie, verbally, said, "I love you."

God gave him a name. God told me in different ways to name him Trent. There was a friend who played baseball with me and his name was also Trent. There was a great basketball player who played for me on the AAU team by the name Trent. Finally, there was a man from out of town who came to Caprock on school business and he met Nee Nee. She asked him,

"What is your name?"

"Trent Tankersley"

It's amazing! God spoke to me loud and clearly. I've done some research on the meaning of Trent and it comes from the word torrent which means rapid waters. In several languages, it means, "Rivers of blessings".

Back to my mother being in the hospital. They put Angie on the same floor with my mother. Can you imagine when I wheeled Trent's carriage to NeeNee's room and when she held the baby, visitors walked by...gawking at an old lady having a baby!!! It was a funny sight! Trent would go back and forth to his mother's and grandmother's room. What a man!

Yesterday, Papa, NeeNee, Tiara and I went to see Trent at the Youth Center. This is where he lives until January. He's celebrating his birthday with his comrades at the center with a big cookie that the cooks made for him. Angie and I got him American Eagle shorts and Trent loved it. Tori and Tiara had send him a card in the mail. Trent said that he's ready to get out and go home. He has to work his way out by going through 4 phases of the SAIT program. I told him that we'll have a birthday party for him when he gets out and he was exciting about it. Even though, he's in rehab, he still brings blessings to all of us. God has a wonderful plan for him and He is using the rehab to shape him for His plans. Trent knows that. He said, "Dad, when I'm in prison, I am free. When I was out there in the free world, I was in prison in my own mind." Yes, son, in Jesus Christ - you are indeed free.

Watch each picture carefully, you'll see the 'river of blessings' coming toward you.

Happy Birthday to Trent!

Scott Tankersley