In all reality, I should be thankful for all the blessings in my life on a daily basis. I have my health, a job I enjoy, friends and family. We are financially secure and want for nothing, and for all sakes and purposes have a very active social life. We have a church we enjoy, our kids are in a school that is helping them to grow, and they are very active. The blessings in my life, and in my families life are many, and we shouldn’t wait until the last Thursday of every November to remember these things.
But, if I had to be thankful for one thing, and one thing only, it would be the most obvious……Brett, Maci and Brandon. My kids.
I must preface the remainder of this particular blog with this understanding: My wife and I are completely opposing people. We are different in virtually everything we do, what we enjoy, and how we handle all that life offers. Neither of us are right or wrong, but simply put we are different. And these opposing personalities have become ever present in our 3 distinctly different children.
Brett is the oldest. Physically speaking, he resembles both of us, and depending on the angle and lighting you can see both Carey and I in him. He’s of average height, clearly not getting that from me, and is slim, but not necessarily skinny. He’s shy at first, a trait he gets from Carey, and is very sensitive, which I have been assured is not a trait he got from me. Schoolwork is not something that comes easy for him, but he works extremely hard at it. He’s good at sports, and despite the shyness there is a competitive streak down in there somewhere that can be unbearable at times. Yep, that’s me. He’s a people pleaser and loves quality time with his mom and dad.
Brett’s a 50/50 mix of the two of us.
Maci and Brett couldn’t be more different. Maci is tall, the tallest in her class despite being the youngest. I think we know where that comes from. She’s also one of the bigger kids in her class, a trait she unfortunately got from me as well. But, she’s a spitting image of her mom, and you only have to look at a few pictures of Carey in her youth to see it. Maci excels in school. She’s usually at the top of the class, and is a very avid reader. This is a point of confusion for us. Carey was never the brains, and even though she always got good grades, it wasn’t exactly easy for her and she had to work hard at it (see Brett there?). On the other hand, school came easy for me, but it wasn’t through effort. I’m a sponge, and can generally remember just about anything once I hear or read it. But I never tried, and my C average was evidence enough of that. I suppose Maci gets the brains from me, she has just developed the ability to actually apply herself from Carey. Socially, she more closely resembles Carey in that she gets along with most people but gets really close to few. And in all sincerity, she’s a royal smart-alec and as bull-headed as they come, and I take full blame for that.
Maci is a 60/40 mix, with Carey leading the way.
But, oh, there’s Brandon. We are often criticized as parents for making unflattering remarks about our youngest. But here’s the facts: he is ornery, loud, obnoxious, defies authority, and will test every limit put in front of him. You tell him no, and he wants to know why. You tell him he can’t do something, and he will undoubtedly do it just because he wants to. He has an ability to play Brett and Maci against each other, all the while making it seem like he’s on either of there sides at any given time. He’s a genius, in an evil sort of way, and I will consider myself to be a terrific father if I can keep him out of jail someday. He’s very social, plays well with everyone, but will no doubt be a bully someday if he doesn’t get his way. He’s smart, but will only ever do what he wants to, and when he wants to. The only incentive and fun is that he gets to play football, basketball and baseball. Brandon is the anomoly of our children, and as much as it kills me to say:
Brandon is 100% me. Not even the slightest hint of Carey in him phsyically or metally. I’m the one to blame for him.
At the end of the day, I am thankful to have 3 unique children who make my life interesting. And I’m thankful that Carey and I can laugh about there differences and be proud of how outstanding each one is in there own way.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Finding My Way 