Here's the Skinny.... 

Recently I was blessed to be able to attend a wedding. This wedding was that of a young lady that I like to call my other daughter. I met Jamie at camp. Summit Camp to be precise. I have known her about four or five years. She, Rendy and Ashli are my girls from camp. (SERIVICE AT 9! Had to be there for that one) They all hail from Antlers, America! (big shout out to the City of Antlers) Today was my first time ever being in Antlers.

Anyway……

The wedding was a wonderful ending to this year of 2006. Most all of '06 was good. The best highlight being the birth of A.J. That was in April. Everything from then to the present seems pretty blurry. However, one thing stands out now. My step-father of 37 years passed away pretty unexpectedly. I would say that the two of us were pretty close. He met and married my mom when I was like five years old. I didn't always understand him, but I loved him very much. He took good care of my brother and me and always made sure that we had the things we needed for school and also made sure we had a roof over our head, clothes on our backs and medical bills taken care of. In my younger years I was truly afraid of him. He was a military man…very proud, very by the book and strict. I needed it. I have come to really appreciate who he was. My later years showed me who he really was and that under that military strictness was a man with a huge heart.  I would call him up if I was having car trouble. He would talk to me as long as I needed him to talk. He would talk your ear off too if you happened to be talking to him about a subject that he really liked or knew something about. Gosh…I sure am going to miss him. If you are reading this and you are from a blended family, then you know how difficult step-parents can be…but he truly was not the norm. Most step-parents get a bad rap. I assure you…the bad ones are the minority. They have such a difficult task that they undertake.  

My mother really does miss him and I pray for her to find strength to carry on and not let the grief weigh her down. He pretty much was her world. Death sucks! There is never a good time. Christmas time has to be one of the worst. But I have to remember that it should be a time of celebration. He is now in a place that we can only dream about for now. How much happier he must be living up there with Jesus. No pain, no sorrow! Kinda makes you jealous if you think about it.

So…thank you Michael and Jamie Silva for inviting me to be a part of your special day and to provide a much needed blessed event to end this year with.  I hope that 2007 will be a year of GREAT memories. I truly have so much to be thankful for.  Don't forget to count and thank God for your blessings…and while you are at it…thank Him for the not so good things in your life as well. Everything happens for HIS purpose. Bad things are hard…but in the end, you will find the good.

I'm outy!