Family Time

Let me start by saying that I have a great family. I love my family with all of my heart and soul. There is nothing that I would not do for my family. The Lord has truly blessed me with my parents. And when I say parents I mean it in the most pluralistic way possible. When I was very young my mother and father got a divorce. They both remarried, so I grew up with two sets of loving parents. Now it was not always and easy thing to deal with, but The Lord made sure that I had four very special and unique parents. Let me first start with my mother.

My mother (Sue) is the strongest most loving person in the world. She is truly my rock here on this earth. She has always been the support system that has kept me going. She instilled in me the Love of The Lord. Her faith is strong and she is not afraid to show it. I probably wasn't the perfect kid growing up and I should have listened a whole lot better to her than I did, but the one thing I always knew was that she loved Christ. It is her prayers and her prayers alone that have kept me out of harms way. She has prayed diligently for all four of her children, and they have all turned out the way the Lord has planned. She has two daughters and two sons who love her with all of their hearts. In order, they are Tim, Missy, me, and Rachel. Tim, Missy, and me are from her first marriage, and Rachel is from her second. She was willing to do anything for us growing up, and still is to this day. She sacrificed so much to make sure that we had everything we needed. We never went without, even in the lean years. She even took on a second job when I was in school. She was at every game and event (she was recognized by her whistle in the stands). She was and is our biggest fan, and she wants nothing more that for us to be happy in life. I can never repay her for her love, except to accept the gift that she told us about growing up. That gift is the sacrifice of Christ. She has done her job and her reward will be great in Heaven. Mom, you are the greatest ever and I love you so much.

Coming from a divorced home can complicate things in life for some people, and it wasn't always fun for me. But all in all, I have been truly blessed in my situation. The Lord blessed me with a great step-father (Jeff). He has been in my life since I was about five years old. He has put up with me for a long time. He is truly a man of great faith. Like so many of us men, he too was saved by the prayers of his mother(thats another whole story). For as long as I can remember, Jeff has been there. He has been a great teacher on how to be a man, and how to provide for a family. He has taught me so many things. He helped instill in me a love for sports of all kinds. He taught me how to hunt and fish. How to shoot a gun, a bow and a basketball. The times I will always cherish are the long walks in the fields hunting for pheasants (I cant wait to get to do that soon). More importantly than teaching me to hunt and play sports, he has showed me how to love someone unconditionally. He took me in as his own son. He expected out of me what any father would expect out of their son. He is a great encourager. He was there to pick me up when I was down, and to put me in my place when I got cocky or stupid. He is not my step-dad, he is my other Father. Do you remember that old television show called "My two Dads", I have that. I love you Jeff.

That leads me to my birth Father (Tom). My Dad, has raised five children of his own plus another. He obviously raised Tim, Missy, and myself, but also Trevor and Nicole from his second marriage. His second wife, Karen had a daughter named Angela. That is six children in all. How you have kept your sanity is beyond me. My dad has such a love for all of us kids, a love that is truly great. He worked at General Motors for 35+ years. Anyone who does that deserves sainthood. He is a great provider for all of us. He instilled in me a love of cars, not just any cars, but muscle cars. I can remember going to autorama in Detroit to see all of the custom hotrods. He used to have this van that he customized. He could do anything with that van. I bet you he changed the interior in that van a thousand times. I can remember it having a mini-bar in it, decorated in 80's disco type. He was ahead of his time when he put another stereo in the back of the van. He put a little t.v. and v.c.r. for long trips it also had atari hooked up to it. That van was the coolest thing I have ever been around. But more than cool vans, he was a cool dad. I have always looked up to him because he can do anything. He can fix anything on a car, and a house. When I need some help with anything like that he is the first person I call. Its like having the biggest desk reference in the world. My dad deserves so much. He has worked so hard in his life to provide for his family and to show how much he loves his kids. There isn't a tribute out there that can measure up to him and what he has meant in my life. I asked him a question just before I got married, I asked him if he had any advice. His initial response was, "you want marriage advice from a man who has been divorced twice". A few days later he gave me a wedding card he had put a note in it for me. In the note he had told me how much he thought he had screwed up in life and how he wished he had been around more. Then he told me not to try to keep up with the "Jones'", to take long walks with my wife and really talk to her, to find out what she is thinking and how she is feeling. I have tried to do that in my marriage. That was the best advice I have ever gotten. Dad you didn't screw up!!!!! You let us make our mistakes, you picked us up when we fell, you loved us when no one else would. You made us feel special. When we screwed up, you didn't make things worse, you made things better. You have six children that love you and would do anything for you. I want so much for you Dad, because you deserve so much.

My dad's second wife (Karen) is a very special women. She took on a whole family when she married my Dad. Anyone that has put up with Tim, missy, and me deserves a Medal of Honor. She took us all, good, bad, and the ugly. She was truly my other mom. She could have ignored us if she had wanted, but she didn't. She loved us, even when it was hard to. When I would go and spend the night at her house she always made me feel at home. She never tried to over step her bounds and she knew when to pull back when she thought she was getting close to crossing the line. She is a truly awesome women and I will forever be greatful to her for the role she played in my life. Karen, I love you and I miss you. I can't wait to come home so that you can meet another one of your grandchildren (his name is Brooks, by the way). I love you dearly.

These are my mothers and fathers. I want to tell you about my brothers and sisters to, but I will save that for another time. I am going to sleep now. Hope you enjoy this, sorry this was so long.