The shoes she filled

I was just a kid who needed somewhere to go,

With a heart full of hurt that nobody could know.

I didn't have much, just a suitcase and dreams,

And a whole lot of questions about what family means.

Then you opened your door, you opened your heart,

Said, “You can stay here, we'll make a new start.”

You never once made me feel like I didn't belong,

You just held my hand and helped me get strong.

You didn't have to love me,

You didn't have to stay,

But you stepped into the darkness

And you showed me the way.

You filled the shoes she left behind,

And somehow made this broken heart believe it could survive.

You weren't the one who gave me life,

But you gave me a reason to hold on and try.

You took a child that wasn't yours

And loved her like your own.

You gave me roots, you gave me wings,

You gave this lost girl a home.

And if anybody ever asks me

What a mother's love can do

I'll tell them about the woman

Who raised me when she didn't have to.

You put me through high school, you taught me to dream,

You showed me there's more than the pain I had seen.

You wiped away tears that you didn't cause,

You stood in the gap when I thought I was lost.

And I wish I could tell that scared little girl

That one day she'd find someone good in this world.

Someone who'd choose her, through thick and through thin,

Someone who'd remind her to get back up again.

And now I'm grown older,

But some things never change,

When I lose my way in the darkness,

I still hear you say my name.

You filled the shoes she left behind,

And somehow made this broken heart believe it could survive.

You weren't the one who gave me life,

But you gave me a reason to hold on and try.

You took a child that wasn't yours

And loved her like your own.

You gave me roots, you gave me wings,

You gave this lost girl a home.

And if anybody ever asks me

What a mother's love can do

I'll tell them about the woman

Who raised me when she didn't have to.

And here we are, fifty years

Of your beautiful life,

And I've watched you give your heart away

A thousand different times.

But there was one little girl

Who'll never forget the day

You looked at her and chose her

And wouldn't let her walk away.

And when my world got dark again,

When I couldn't see tomorrow,

You reached right through the darkness

And reminded me I'm worth it.

I don't know how to thank you

For every life you've changed,

But I hope you hear these words tonight

And know I'd choose you the same.

You filled the shoes she left behind,

And you gave me something I thought I'd never find...

A family, a future, a place to call home,

A love that never made me feel alone.

You took a child that wasn't yours

And loved her like your own.

You gave me roots, you gave me wings,

And taught my heart where it belongs.

Fifty years of love and grace.

If I could go back and change my story,

I'd still want you in that place.