The day I was born in April 1977, floodwater covered the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. I was the fourth of eight children born to my young mother, Kaye. Within two weeks, she handed me to her sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Otis. It was one of the best decisions she ever made. My aunt and uncle adopted me, and from then on, I was loved beyond measure. They spoiled me, taught me lessons I would only understand years later, and filled my childhood with abundance