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While channel flipping, I passed Al Gore in his movie, “An Inconvenient Truth”. I heard three sentences before moving on and was able to conclude he does not know what he is talking about. In one of the sentences he referred to the book of Revelation in the bible as the “book of Revelations“. This is more than a simple mistake, more than a slip. It is a common mistake that the biblically uninformed make, and a key indicator to the informed, as to whether someone has more than a superficial biblical knowledge. He failed. If he can’t even Google a reference in his research, I don’t really care what else he says, I can’t trust it.

For instance, I know how much certain computer parts cost wholesale, and at lowest retail. If I go into a store and see one or more of those items severely overpriced, I logically conclude they have a high markup on everything, and don’t shop there.

No one can know it all… but if you are preaching the end of the world you’d better know a lot if you want to be taken seriously. I am disappointed in the common sense of the masses that believe him. Stupidity is epidemic and there seems to be no cure.

Mindi has been making great strides in building her life. She is working hard, making sacrifices, and growing into a beautiful mom, and I am so proud of her. She has found a good man in Todd, whom Wendy and I both like very much.

This Monday, March 12th, her and Todd will stand before a judge and be wed, with little 2 year old Aiden at their side. There is a good chance it will be in the same courtroom office Wendy and I were wed in. I know Mindi wants a wedding. So do I. I want a wedding of their lives… I want her heart and soul to be wed to Todd’s and likewise his to hers. I want each of them to give 100% of themselves for the other.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a nice big wedding. Jeremy and Melissa both had nice ones, Melanie (my niece) just had a very beautiful wedding. That’s great, and they are fun and exciting. But a wedding is only the wrapper. Nothing about the dress, the colors, the cake, the pictures, who stood where, who came, who didn’t etc…, is going to make your marriage a success. The ceremony portion is just that, an outward celebration of the TRUE wedding, the wedding that MUST take place between the hearts and souls of the two people in love.

August 1st, 1980, about 4:45 PM, Wendy, myself, and little 27 month old Mindi, stood as the next to the last ‘case’ before a judge, in his courtroom office. After a few official words, we each repeated the state standard vows to each other. Wendy totally gave of herself for me and our new little family. I saw her put her own convenience, preferences, desires, and wants, right out of the picture as she made “us” her first priority.

To express it in more physical terms, the best I can do is this…
It would be like two people and one bowl between them on a table. In the bowl was one dollar. Both need the dollar. Both are hungry and needy. One takes the dollar and gives it to the other. Two more dollars magically appear in the bowl. The dollars continue to double everytime one of them takes them, and freely gives 100% of the money to the other. As soon as one or both are selfish, the money stops appearing. Even “half for you, half for me” is selfish in love. It’s all or nothing.

When both the husband and wife give 100% to and for each other, love just grows brighter, clearer, stronger, better, every moment they are in it. You can never get more out of love than what you receive when you have both given everything first. It took me a while to realize this, years even. Fortunately Wendy was patient. But her example was persistent and eventually I caught on. Nothing, absolutely nothing, means more to me than the well being of Wendy and my family, even (and especially) at my expense.

Some know this secret from day one. Some never learn. Thank God I did learn, and that Wendy knew it all along. I can’t wrap up and give a “perfect marriage” to my children. Even if I could, that would make it imperfect. But I can pray and hope, and I do.

My greatest desire is that you all know for yourselves, the happiness, the satisfation, the peace, the completeness, that only comes from truly loving, and being truly loved.

After a week we finally got our little Aiden back for a visit. If you read this please pray for Mindi as she fights for custody of Aiden.

Anyway, for last night and half a day, he was back with us. It was sooo good to have him back. I have rarely gone more than 2-3 days, usually less, without seeing Aiden. The floors were alive as Aiden and I flew our Buzz Lightyears all over the house, hunting and defeating “bad guys”. Later, he was plundering my office and found a Star Trek Enterprise model I’m going to build. He asked, “Is that Papa’s toy?” “You wanna play with me?” That fascination ended once he spotted a giant Power Rangers Sticker/Color book I had hidden away for him. The rest of the night we were stretched out across the table sticking stickers and coloring Power Rangers. This morning, more of the same.

After we had a breakfast of Hot Wheels cereal with marshmallow cars, we watched an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Wendy was at work, so sensing our opportunity we headed over to K-Mart to buy a new Ninja Turtle Action Figure. Now… I told him he could only have one. Well, I really said, “Nana said only one”, so I wouldn’t be the bad guy. (And because she really did say that)

As we strolled down each aisle, TMNT’s were quickly forgotten, as he would find a new toy to carry every few minutes replacing the last. First the Red ranger, then a Megazord, then Spiderman, then Superman; one by one he carried them up and down the aisles. Occasionally he would say “I want bunch”. I just said, “Me too, but Nana said only one.” We finished the toy aisles and were passing a clearance rack. The Superman hit the floor (I guess he couldn’t fly) as Aiden became oblivious to him and focused on a pair of Batman Action Figures with Light-up Neon Wings and various Weapons attachments. Wow – and, they were 1/2 price.

Aiden quickly did the math for me.

Batman: ($14.00 x 0.5) = $7.00
Superman: ($16.00 x 1.0) = $16.00
Batman x 2 = (($14.00 x 0.5) x 2) = $14.00
((2.Batman)=$14.00) < ((1.Superman)=$16.00)
“Hmmm” he said, “Logic would suggest buying 2 Batman Figures will you save money”

I of course agreed, and he got two. Nana will understand when Aiden explains it to her. So he tucked those two packages under his arms and carried them around contently as I finshed picking up a few other items. After shopping, we headed to Micky D’s for our Happy Meal.

Here’s my math: Life + Grandchildren = Happiness

Wendy and I went to see Wild Hogs tonight. This movie is genius. Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy. A foursome I never would have guessed would star together. Each of them in characters mostly different than I would typecast them into. That plus Ray Liotta as a bad guy, along with Kevin Durand, who was spectacularly funny while being “stupid tough”, and then a gay highway patrolman played by John C. McGinley, was all just pure laughs. No politics. No social statements. Guys getting old, seeking more out of life than the routine. I loved it, so did Wendy. This movie was genius in casting, genius in it’s target market, and genius in it’s acting. You didn’t think Tim could act? Just watch… This one will be a “buy” for my DVD collection, and as anyone who’s seen my collection knows, that’s rare. Not even sure you can call something a collection if there’s less than 20. This is the type of entertainment I wish Hollywood would produce more often.

Disclaimer: I think you need to be 35 or older to “get” this movie.

** Updatded 3/10/2007 **

Mindi and Todd are doing the right things… I cannot put details here, but please pray for them and Aiden (and Meadow, coming soon)

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My heart is broken for my little guy. He is so sweet, so innocent, and so good… but he is not always happy. He is with his mom, and with Wendy and I most of the time, but recently (again) his biological father has gotten a wild hair to sue Mindi for custody. I have already seen (and been victim to) how bad these things can turn. In his efforts to “demonstrate” that he is a good father, he is trying to keep Aiden more often. However, it’s only a front. When BF (bio father) comes and picks Aiden up, they leave together, but we know Aiden is deposited at the BF’s aunt or cousins house. This is the same BF that ‘forgot’ to pick Aiden up at a baby sitter a couple months ago and left him there overnight.It’s bad – very bad for Aiden. He just gets jerked around from house to house. He has at least 5 places he stays now. Before this, when it was BF’s week to keep Aiden, he would let us keep Aiden while he had to work or go to school. (Which ended up being 80% of the week) Now he has his cousin or aunt keep Aiden when he’s in school or working most of the time.Everytime Aiden is picked up at our home by BF, Aiden begs to stay here with us. He then tries to get us to go with him. He used to cry all the way to the car. Now he just looks sad and defeated as he is carried away, as if he’s given up hope. My heart is shattered and I can’t think of anything else. I don’t know how to save him from being vollied about. He’s not even three years old, and he has to carry more emotional than a little child ever should. I would give anything to stop this nonsense and stabilize his environment. Wendy and I are heart sick for him. We don’t know what to do.