Father and Child Reunion

            I saw my daughter yesterday for the first time in almost a year.

 We cried......

            The road that lead to this day has been a long and winding one. Incredibly the same thing that split us apart on a bleak January night has brought us back together. The details aren't important, the thing that is important is that the relationship between my daughter and I although severely stretched was not broken.
           Now we have been rejoined with a new understanding of the complexities of life and love and a new and stronger bond between us.

 We were happy.....
     

Thanksgiving

           Thanksgiving has always been a special time for me. In my past life it was about family gatherings, deer hunting and of course lots of food. That chapter of my life is closed now but it's one of the few things that I miss. Last Thanksgiving was the first together for Joyce and I. It was exactly what it should have been. We cooked ourselves a miniture version of a Thanksgivng feast, enjoyed our meal together and reminised about Thanksgivings past. We were happy and very thankful for being together.
           This year as the day approached we were preparing ourselves for a repeat of last year when things began to happen. First Joyce's daughter Elizabeth called and told her mother that she and her boyfriend Kenny wanted to come for dinner with us. We both were very excited about the prospects of Thanksgiving dinner with family again even though it was small. That's when I suggested to Joyce that she should invite her son Douglas and his family to come over also. We really didn't expect them to come since we assumed they would go to his wife's family gathering. Much to our surprise they accepted our invitation and even said they would be here early.
            Needless to say Joyce was overjoyed! She so misses her grandaughter Hallie and the time together with her family.I also have struggled, constantly dealing with the family turmoil caused by divorce but I feel like I have made great progress this past year with mending some of the situations with my children caused by the split up of their parents. Because of this, much to my surprise, I had the opportunity to bring my youngest grandson Jackson over to our house for the day. What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift that was for me!

            This just goes to show that no matter how bad things get there's always hope for a better future. All we can do is follow our hearts, be true to one's self, and take every opportunity to show our love for those who really count.

"The Blind Side"

               When Joyce first started telling me about wanting to see this movie( The Blindside) I thought to my self " oh no not another chick flick". But she assured me that because it was based on a true story about a football player ( Michael Oher ) that I would like it but I really got interested when I found out that the star of the movie was Sandra Bullock! Anyway back to the movie review....

                The story is set in Memphis Tn. where a young man is pulled from the projects by a friend who is trying to get his son accepted to a Christian academy and brings Michael aka "Big Mike" along for the ride. With high hopes of recruiting a star player the coach works to get Michael accepted because of his size but struggles because he's an academic disaster.

                Things really begin to change when Michael is taken in by LeAnne and Sean Tuohy,  a well to do couple, who help him through the trials and tribulations of breaking away from his other life in the projects and dealing with his crack addicted mother.

                 For us guys the football scenes are scripted and pretty much unbeleivable but Sandra makes up for it by looking incredible as a blonde! For the ladies it has plenty of tugs at the heart strings and surely will bring a tear or two. Costar Tim McGraw sheds his macho country superstar image to play the mild mannered buisnessman husband and pulls it off nicely.

                  This one is definitely worth seeing even though you'll have to fight your way through the "Twilight " groupies.    

Love

        Love ... Often dismissed as over rated by those who don't have it, cherished by those who do. Some spend a lifetime searching for it, others are lucky enough to find it at every turn. For those of us who have been around a while,we have most likely been on both sides of the fence.. had it.. lost it.. dreamed of it.. found it when we least expected it. I myself have been lucky enough to find the love of my life at a time when I had just about come to the conclusion that all hope of feeling that most wonderful of emotions again was gone forever.
        It has changed me and changed my life! It is amazing how you look at things differently through those rose colored glasses that are standard equipment when you are in love. Things that were once drudgery are now fun and exciting. Each day becomes an adventure, things that once seemed out of reach are now possible and your desire to reach out for those things is renewed.
        If you consider yourself in love, don't take it for granted that it will always be there, for you may wake one day and realize that things have changed. It will leave you wondering where you went wrong. Love is like a beautifull garden filled with things you love to enjoy. But without a lot care and nurturing it can become wilted, filled with weeds and finally dying, leaving behind only the remains of what used to be.
        So whether it's a spouse, a girl/boy friend, a child or a parent, don't just say the words that we so often carelessly use out of habit when leaving them or at the end of a phone conversation. "I love you" should always come from the heart and be accompanied by the actions and emotions that let them feel what you feel for them and inspires them to love you in return.