"I'm gonna getcha!" I say as I dart after my toddler. He squeals with delight and dives onto the carpet. I reach down and start tickling. "Mommy! Mommy!" he shouts between bursts of laughter. What a wonderful child he is! So full of life, energy, and smiles.

I love being a mother. It's what I've always wanted to be since I was a little girl. Mother's Day is very special to me. Especially now. A few years ago I had my hardest Mother's Day ever.

It was my 30th birthday, and after eight years of marriage, we still were not blessed with any children. I watched my sisters and many friends have babies, but none came for me-

But that all changed when our precious son, Vincent, was born. Now I am forever grateful to another mother. You see, I didn't give birth to Vincent. A beautiful young woman conceived him and carried him for nine months.

She had two little ones at home, was not married, and was on welfare. She realized she would not be able to provide a secure home for this tiny one. She loved him so much, she wanted a better life for him. She wanted him to have a mother and a father.

She met us and chose us to be his parents through adoption. We were present at his birth and brought him home from the hospital.

For several weeks thereafter I cried easily. I cried for joy at finally being a mother of such a beautiful, precious boy. But I also cried for his birth mother. I cried because of the sacrifice she made. I cried because she had taken such good care of herself so that we could have a wonderfully healthy baby. I cried because of the gift she offered us. What a gift! Could anyone give us anything of greater value? A million dollars wouldn't come close. I'm sure some of her friends or family members suggested she have an abortion. It makes me shudder to think what could have happened to him. And I cry again. I cry for so many other precious, beautiful babies that are not given the chance to live, to laugh, to love, and to be loved. And I cry for those women with that heavy ache in their heart; that yearning to be called "Mommy" by a little one reaching his arms up to be held.

This Mother's Day, I pray for other young women who are faced with an unwanted pregnancy. I pray that they will have the love, the strength, and the courage to follow the example of Vincent's birth mother.

She is forever my hero.

Lori Ramirez

Lori is a member of the Board of Directors of Central Illinois Right to Life, Inc. She is available for speaking engagements on the subject of adoption and Pro Life issues.