Yesterday was not only Mothers Day in America, it was also our former foster son's 9th birthday.

Nine-years-old! That's simply amazing.

T lived with us from the age of two until just past his fourth birthday, and even with me able to do the math it seems impossible that it's been five years since his mother returned and reclaimed him.

He came to us almost accidentally, through a set of circumstances that were as sad as they were horrifying, and although at the time I considered myself far beyond my sell-by date as far as mothering went, we didn't hesitate for a moment to bring him into our home and our hearts.

As it turned out, Mark and I fell into parenting this little boy like strawberries into melted chocolate, and for two years we had the sweetest time.

I stopped by the school he goes to today to drop off his birthday gift. (This is fine with his mom, by the way, and with the school.) He was coming out of his class for recess when I caught his eye, and the 10,000 watt smile he gave me warmed this old heart right up.

He read the card, put the gift in his backpack for opening later, then spent the rest of the recess allowing himself to be hugged and smooched ... even brought a couple of friends over to witness me making much of him ... and caught me up on recent events.

He's been cast as a flying monkey in the school's production of "The Wizard of Oz" and invited all of us to the show, hinting, however, that his portrayal might be a bit scary for Sam and Cj, them being so little and all.

As it was getting close to the end of his break, he moved in close for yet another hug and said, "You know, Sandra ... I remember everything."

From underneath my arm he started pouring out memories ... our trip to London where we went to the Natural History Museum and he feared for Mark's life when he got too close to the mechanical T-Rex; putting out crab pots on Ocracoke Island in North Carolina when we visited my oldest daughter; being afraid to pose for a photo with the Singapore Zoo's reticulated python, and being really impressed when I stepped in for the shot; me reading to him every night; his bed in our house. He went on for quite a while, smiling and hugging me the whole time.

Do I need to express who got the greatest gift today?

T has been nothing but a gift from the first moment he came into our lives, and even his leaving ... hands down the hardest, saddest time of my life ... presented Mark and me with a great treasure: the knowledge that we could be, and should be, parents.

Sam and Cj are T's ongoing, life-long gifts to us, the legacy he's left to our family. Not only do we treasure the time we had with him, love him forever for the wonderful little person he is, and include him in all thoughts and conversations that have to do with our children, we also are so grateful for every minute he was with us, for the love he still shares so freely, and for the door his little self opened for us way back when he was two.

Nine! Sheesh. He'll be shaving before we know it! Even then, though, he'll still remember everything.

Me, too.

The photo is T on his 3rd birthday. Seems like yesterday ...