Quite a headline for a blog, huh? I’ll explain. My brother is 34 years old. He has been in and out of jail and prison since he was 18 for meth amphetamines. He has been clean for almost 4 years. This is due to being in prison, then going straight into rehab.

While Jimmy was in prison, our Dad died. Plus, our mom died when my brother was 7. I was 19. And my sister was 16. Imagine being in prison, and hearing your Dad is terminal with cancer, and knowing you’ll never see him again. Talk about regrets. But my brother is doing SO good. He moved in with us almost a year ago. So… my husband has stepped in like a father to him. And Jimmy has stepped in like a big brother to my 15 year old. It is SO awesome!

Dr. Laura says that when a person is using drugs, they don’t develop socially or in maturity. So my brother came to us like an 18 year old in a 34 year old body. Fortunately, he is brilliant, good looking, hard working, and a precious soul. And he is growing up fast. He just filed taxes for the first time in his life, is drawing a steady paycheck, got insurance for his motorcycle, and just bought health insurance, etc.

Greg (my husband) is not just advising him, though. He takes his role with Jimmy very seriously, and has always loved him like a brother. But now that our Dad is gone, Greg is investing Fatherhood into him. He observes him, like he has with our two sons over the years. For example, he picked up on the fact that he thinks that Jimmy somehow feels like he’s less valuable than other people. So Greg found the right time to convey to him that he is just as valuable, just a capable, and just as worthy as any other person in the world to have his place in the world. Greg is affirming him. And he does these sorts of little “injections” into Jimmy’s life on a regular basis.

I think the value of a Father’s affirmations cannot be measured. I think it’s a priceless investment. I think Fathers should observe their sons and daughters, and pick them up emotionally. Build them into good strong men and women, who can do the same for their sons and daughters.

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I’ve been so busy lately, that I haven’t really stopped to look at my husband. Weird! Yesterday, we stopped for lunch at a soup and salad buffet in between a hectic day of meetings. He had on a suit and tie. He came to the table, and started tucking his tie into his shirt, and said something about keeping it out of his soup. I stopped and looked at him as he ate his soup, and just watched him. I almost cried. What a precious man! And handsome too! I don’t know. Maybe it was hormonal. But honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever just watched him without talking to him, or listening to him, or doing something. It’s like I saw him for the first time in a long time. I got teary eyed, and said, “Greg, I love you so much. Don’t ever leave me.” (I think thoughts of him dying, since he’s 10 years older than me). He just looked up and smiled, “Oh honey, I never will. I love you too.” It was no big thing to him. But sort of an epiphany experience for me.

I think I’m in love again!

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I was traveling quite a bit the past few weeks. Suddenly I realized we had started several rat piles! This is what we call it when someone lays something down, like in an area of the kitchen. And other people start adding to the pile. We had 4 rat piles around the house in public areas. I kept telling everyone to pick up their stuff. To no avail… So…

I got one shoe box for each person in the house. And went through the rat piles, putting each item into the rightful owner’s box. I Then put each box into each person’s bedroom. Done! Admittedly, there was a box for me too. Just got finished putting all my stuff away.

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My 15 year old is about to get his permit. So we bought an old jeep. A fixer. We did the same thing with our oldest son. Because we figure they’ll probably have a fender bender as their getting used to driving. So no worries, if it’s already a clunker. But we do want it to be mechanically sound.

We always thoroughly check out any used vehicle. My husband used to be a mechanic. So when he buys a used car, he brings along his creepy crawler, the thing that you use to slide under a car. And he brings cover-alls. You should see the look on a used car salesman’s face, when we finish looking at the surface of a car, in and out. And my husband starts putting on his coveralls and pulls out his creepy crawler. He goes under to look for oil, rust, and who knows what else. Lots of times we’ve walked away from a really nice looking vehicle, because my husband sees something underneath that could be costly. He also checks the oil, rubs some in his fingers, and smells it. He can tell if it smells like it’s burning. A sign that the engine is going, I guess.

If you’re ever seriously interested in a used car, I think it’s worth it to pay a mechanic to crawl under it, look under the hood, etc., before you buy. Some of the stuff my husband has found could mean thousands of dollars in losses.

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My youngest, Christian, is about to turn 15. And since our family dog, Beethoven just left us after 14 years, it’s clear that Christian has never had a puppy of his own. Beethoven was our oldest son, Joe’s dog.

I don’t know why, but I think that kids need to have a dog. Christian has had a cat. But then we discovered that he was severely allergic. His So he made the decision to find him a home. But even his cat was grown when he got him. So he’s never had a baby animal to raise for himself. All that to say…

He wants a puppy. And I would love for him to have one. But my husband is tired of dealing with it. Since Beethoven was officially Joe’s dog, when Joe moved out to play pro baseball 4 years ago, Christian never took over the responsibility of caring for Beethoven. So my husband did it, and occasionally nagged Christian into doing it for periods of time. I know we should have been consistent… give a kid a job, and make them do it. blah, blah, blah… I know we failed in that one. But needless to say, my husband isn’t ready to get into that commitment again. And since I travel with business, he is left holding the bag alot of the time. So… I guess we’re in a holding pattern. Poor Christian… I’m just going to pray that God changes Greg’s heart. Now that is manipulation in the highest degree!

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My youngest, Christian, is about to turn 15. And since our family dog, Beethoven just left us after 14 years, it’s clear that Christian has never had a puppy of his own. Beethoven was our oldest son, Joe’s dog.

I don’t know why, but I think that kids need to have a dog. Christian has had a cat. But then we discovered that he was severely allergic. His So he made the decision to find him a home. But even his cat was grown when he got him. So he’s never had a baby animal to raise for himself. All that to say…

He wants a puppy. And I would love for him to have one. But my husband is tired of dealing with it. Since Beethoven was officially Joe’s dog, when Joe moved out to play pro baseball 4 years ago, Christian never took over the responsibility of caring for Beethoven. So my husband did it, and occasionally nagged Christian into doing it for periods of time. I know we should have been consistent… give a kid a job, and make them do it. blah, blah, blah… I know we failed in that one. But needless to say, my husband isn’t ready to get into that commitment again. And since I travel with business, he is left holding the bag alot of the time. So… I guess we’re in a holding pattern. Poor Christian… I’m just going to pray that God changes Greg’s heart. Now that is manipulation in the highest degree!

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