Introducing Eve Chia

Today, my friends, was the absolute happiest day of my life. Now, other days like my wedding and the birth of my children are close seconds, but those days still left me with a burden hanging over my head, a weight and a fear that I have been in constant struggle of giving over to God. Today, God took that situation out of our lives, and my heart is free. After today, I don't have to wonder what will happen to my child after I die. I don't have to wonder whether I could lose my first-born by the ignorant judgment of a judge who makes a snap decision after being on the bench for too long.

Today, Evie legally became a Chia.



For those of you who don't know, Eve is my child from a relationship long before Billy and I ever knew each other. He isn't her biological father, but he has been the daddy that my daughter so desperately needs.

Since before they met, Billy has prayed for Eve, and from the first times the spent together, their relationship has been a priority to him. The first day they met, my precious 5-year-old ran up to me and said something I'll never forget.

"I have a great idea for my daddy. He could be my daddy."

I told her that we would talk to God about it. Little did she know that I'd been talking to God about it for several months, and He'd already made it quite clear that Billy would, in fact, be her daddy.

When we were engaged, Eve called him her "almost-daddy," and the word step-father is not uttered in our home.

But still, there was the legal issue. To the government - that all-too-powerful entity that seems to think it has a right to stick its nose everywhere it's not welcome - she was not a Chia and Billy was not her dad. She was a Moore, and he was just a step-father.

Today, all of that changed.

Today, he is recognized as the father of Eve as if he'd naturally fathered her. Today, I can go out knowing that if I die in a car accident, Eve will remain safe with her daddy.

I guess I feel like I could go on and on, but this post has to end somewhere...