The day had come that I never really thought would come. My oldest son Richard James Hepner has finally come back home, It has been 14 long years of separation that I know the time lost can never be regained. It saddens me that I have missed out on so much of his life. But, I am thrilled to the bone to get to be a part of it now. There is hope now at the end of this long dark tunnel, as I sit across the table and stare into the eyes of my first born son, into the eyes of a grown man. I am filled with pride looking at the man he has become. I am thankful for the grandfather that helped lay the foundation for that, and thankful to the man who would later become Richards primary care giver, his father. He brought up one hell of a man. Thank you Corey D. Clements for all you have done for our son. And also thank you to the woman who was married to my sons father, Carrie Cook. You helped raise my boy as if he was one of your own. And even after you and Corey had went separated ways you still helped care for my boy, and went above and beyond the call of duty for him, and for that I will always be grateful for. You are the mom he needed when I could not be. So now the time has come to get to know the man who has come home. And I am filled with excited anticipation, and a little anxiety and even a little fear. But, I feel good about this. The time has come for him to learn the truth on many things. My second oldest child MaKayla got this opportunity two years ago. It was very emotional for everyone involved. I finally got to show her my side of the story on all of this and prove to her that I had said all along. A lot of tears and a lot of healing took place for both her and I. I have to admit that I don't feel as empty as I have over the years, there is a void that has been filled again. My baby boy is home with me again. And I pray I can now be the mother to him that I could not be for so many years. I failed him once, I will not fail him again...
