From time to time I am going to write a blog that is not really centrally focused on a single topic. A bit of freewrite if you will. Today is Mother's Day, and of course my thoughts went to mom on many occasions today during church and other goings on. Not sure if I have really put in print how I feel about my mother, or my father for that matter. I thought today a good Random Musings topic would be about people that are of great importance to me in my life, that way if I happen to mention them in a later blog, and you don't know who I am referring, perhaps you may be able to refer back to this page for some background info...
Now these are as they relate to me. These are not all encompassing bio-pics to be sure of these wonderful people, but I will give you a little window into who they are and why I love them...why don't we start when some family members.
FAMILY
Wife, companion, and best friend on earth: Candice.
There is not a more important soul to me than that of my lovely wife. We have been married for over six happy years, and every year it gets better. I become a better husband, she is continuing to be a great wife, and our marriage is as strong as ever. I look at Candice and see so many deep levels of real beauty that few people possess. Oh, yes, she is gorgeous to look it, but her value to me goes so much deeper than just what I see on the surface. Every look in her wistful brown eyes is soft reminder of how kind, and patient, forgiving, and self-sacrificing she has been to me, and those reminders of how lucky I am our like precious diamonds and jewels that I keep on a display, reminding of how valuable she really is. I will no doubt speak far more of my wife in future blogs, but I just thought you would like to know up front that without her, I would not be who I am.
Isaiah - My Oldest Son
When Candice told me we were going to have a baby just six short months into our marriage, I was more than a bit overwhelmed. I was making about $150 a week back then in a good week. I was not sure how I would afford him. I was still extremely childish myself; how was I going to teach him how to be a man? Nevertheless, Isaiah Omar arrived into our world on February 15th, 2005. We took him home a few days later and my life has never been the same since then. Marriage does not really change a person to a high degree. It can motivate you to change, but having a child really forces you to grow up.
I remember many a night I spent in the small bathroom in our two bedroom apartment with the shower turned on to provide some soothing background noise while I rocked our little Zaybo and sang to him to get him to go to sleep night after night. I remember vividly when he was about four months holding him one night and seeing how big he got so quick and just weeping, knowing one day I would miss him being this small, and that the growing wasn't going to stop anytime soon. Children have a unique way of teaching us to live in the moment, for it will soon pass into the realm of memories. I have so many memories of Isaiah, and he adds new ones every day. He is now at the pivotal age of five. Out of that toddler stage for the most park, talking in full sentences, having a very defined personality already. I see so much of me in him, and Candice, but I see so much in him that is unique, hard to identify exactly who he got it from. I know he is going to be able to be and do whatever he applies himself to one day. Its going to be hard to watch him grow into young man, but at the same time I can think of no greater accomplishment than to see that he succeeds in becoming that godly young man. No matter how old he gets, he'll always be my first child, I will always call him "Bobi," and I will always have precious memories to replay of sleepless nights, wobbly first steps, and Christmas's no longer about what I was getting, but about what I was giving. Thank you Isaiah, for all you have done for me as a person...
PS: He LOVES Thomas The Train...first it was Blues Clues, but Thomas has pretty effectively taken that title away for a few years now. I am so proud of him!
Jeremiah - My Youngest Boy
Oh Lord, where do I even start? The truth of the matter is, though I love him, Isaiah was Candice's idea. When Isaiah turned three, this time it was me that wanted another baby. We got Jeremiah. I was not all that helpful in the early going with Isaiah because I really didn't know what I was doing. But when JJ came along, I did my best to get up with him, rock him back to sleep, change diapers...I remember holding him in my arms one service at the altar just weeping over him. I asked for it, I got it. Now I've got to raise it, and raise it right. Daddy grew up a little bit more in that moment.
I remember the panic we felt not knowing what that bump on his skull was. Of course, it turned out to be just a calcific hematoma, nothing to worry about, common with c-sectioned babies. But I now know what its like to sit in the neourosurgeon's office and wait for news that could be not just bad news, but sometimes the worst just runs through you're mind. What if? What if he needs surgery? Am I really prepared to loose the child I prayed for? How do you handle that degree of loss? If I ever lost JJ, I would never be the same.
He likes to be held a certain way. He always has to lay his head in the nape of my neck. He won't let me hold him any other way. 'He feels safe' I think to myself. He trusts me. My prayer is: Lord don't ever let me make a mistake that would damage that trust, no matter how old he gets.
He likes hot dogs, professional wrestling ('wammo' in baby language), and crawling in bed with mommy and daddy in the middle of the night...
He's the perfect little brother for Isaiah. I love watching there relationship unfold right before my eyes. God has blessed with me with the two best boys a father could ever want.
MY PARENTS: Jack and Linda
My parents are, if nothing else, unique. They parented four of us, Melanie, then Mary, then Me, and then my little brother Shawn. Dad was born in Fort Wayne Indiana to a church of God preacher and wife; Willard and Glenna Armey. My father served in Vietnam in 1968 and saw some very heavy combat (which I didn't really know until a few years ago, he never talked about it when were kids...) Shortly after coming home from the war and moving to Florida he met my mother. Mom was the baby of her family, the youngest of five children. In 1972 they were married. I love my parents very much. Were they perfect? No. But they both did their best to see to it that we were well taken care of, happy children. I had a great childhood. As a matter of fact, I will devoting some blog space later on hopefully to a memoir of my childhood. They still live in Florida...in the same house my mom grew up in. Dad still likes guns and fixing things...Mom is still mom, doing her best to make everyone happy, making every dollar stretch as far as it will go. I'll say this much, I think my parents were very giving growing up. I don't remember them buying much for themselves. Seems they were always giving in to the whimsical fancies of us boys...plus necessities. I guess there just never was much left for them to do much fun stuff. I don't recall them going shopping, or going on date nights or anything like that. They both lived for us kids. Dad worked for us...Mom did everything she could to see that we were well adjusted children. She never let on that we were poor, though they themselves to this day are low maintenance, easy to please people...So if I'm not impressed your fancy clothes, house, car, food, you know where I got it from...
Think I'll stop there for the night...on the next random musings I will talk more about my siblings, and some very close friends and highly influential people on my life...until next time!
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