The boys

As I've read through my blog posts centering around Mike's job loss I realized I hadn't written much about the boys and their roles are pivotal in the story.  At the time when Mike lost his job Jay was almost 14 and Nick was 9.  As many moms can attest to, parenting a middle school boy has its challenges.  There are a few things you need to understand about Jay.  He's been my child that I've worried about the most.  Sure, he's pretty much been a dream in middle school (yes, it's true) but I have to work at my relationship with him.  He's always been a mans man and gravitated more towards Mike.  But every concern, worry and doubt I had about Jay was dissolved instantaneously  on the afternoon on Nov. 14.  That was the day Mike and I sat down with the boys to break the news to them.  During that hour long family conversation I was a witness to my boys' actions which demonstrated their love of Jesus.  They freely displayed this love to their dad at a time when Mike desperately needed their acceptance and understanding.  Their physical and verbal responses that afternoon was their way of showing Mike how much they loved Jesus and him.  Never once were the boys concerned about their "stuff."  Christmas was right around the corner and they didn't ask if Christmas would look different that year, it was the least of their concerns. 
Nick, being our humorous child, instantly developed a strong dislike towards the Mike's former employer.  This is a work in progress, as we are still working on this "issue" with Nick.  Ha!  Nick is fiercely loyal and you simply don't mess with his tribe.   But in terms of Nick's opinion of his dad's capabilities, well the sky is the limit.  As far as Jay goes, Mike's job loss softened him.  He's more at ease with other people.  Every wall that Mike had built around himself came down and Jay was at an age where he was old enough to see it and recognize it - we, as a family were finally all in when it came to Mike's heart.  In early January Jay came to me and said that he and Nick came up with a plan, they were going to save their own money and buy Mike a kayak.  Jay and Nick have their own kayaks and Mike has longingly wished he had one but due to our budget constraints, buying a kayak was out of the question. My mom and I were so touched by their thoughtfulness we told them we would help contribute to their venture.  So, here it is mid-March and all four of us are saving in the hopes of having enough money to buy Mike a kayak for Father's Day (so stay tuned).  Mike and I have prayed continually that the long term effects of this job loss will forever be a positive glow in Jay and Nick's lives.  It has taught us as a family that money isn't everything.  I'm reminded often of the main point that Mike said over and over on Nov. 14, stuff doesn't matter, it's people that matter.  Amen to that!