Points of joy

M's girlfriend has moved in. He asked us a couple of weeks ago if she could move in since she is paying $500 a month rent for a bedroom in a friends house and she has spent more time at our house than her own. They have been dating 7 months now and are planning for the future. She loves him regardless of his past and realizes the limitations and restrictions he will have forever. 

Funny kind of sorta... So he had to register in the state he works in because of the C SIL and that state placed him tier 2 with 25 years on the list but he can petition to be off in 10 years. So actually better than the life he has here. He can move to that state and be off the registry in as little as 10 years! Not bad! 

Speaking of the C SIL and her insanity. Seems most of the family has written her rants off as a crazy person. M has done his time and that is in his past. The BIL took the kids to see our in-laws for Christmas this past weekend, without her, and everything was fine. 

Anyway, so B has moved in, and they are happy. They are looking for houses and saving up money. 

The past couple of days we have been snowed in. We got about 11 inches of snow Sunday. Both girls  were here so the "kids" spend Monday morning sledding on our hill. LOL! 

M called on his way to work at 4:30 am. His truck slipped on some black ice and he spun out and hit the median. He is ok, he is shook up but he is driving home. Slowly. The tow truck driver said it was a tire issue and not to waste money on the tow. So he is limping home and hopefully can have it repaired locally for less money than involving the insurance company. 

I am tired. But grateful that he is ok!

He has a GIRLFRIEND!

 Yep! M has a girlfriend. 

For most people that would not be something to shout from the rooftops about, but for M, it is! He had resigned himself to never finding someone who would accept him and be as nerdy as he is. He swore he would never marry. Thanks to a friend he reconnected with this Spring. This was his best friend in high school. They lost touch when he went into the military partially due to some bullshit that happened with another friend. When M came home we encouraged him to reach out and he was afraid to. Well God works in mysterious ways! 

J is in a bowling league with his girlfriends dad. While bowling one evening he met the brother of M's buddy. The brother contacted M's buddy and got them reconnected. Now M and J are both in the friends wedding this fall! LOL! 

The friend, I will call him JD, who has accepted M and loves him dearly, found out about M's fear of girls and not being accepted. JD has a female friend who he worked with at a movie theater and is extremely nerdy. He and his fiancé started to invite her to get togethers with M. J and his girlfriend got wind of it and started doing the same thing! M and B (The girlfriend) started to talk and discovered how much alike they are and now they are inseparable! It is like they have been together for years. 

M says she is the female version of him. And he says he is going to marry her! We could not be happier for him. He has been through so much and it is wonderful to see him happy again. Things will not be easy, of course, especially once they have kids. But for now he is happy and in love and I am thrilled to see it! 

God answers Prayers!

Points of joy

About 10 years ago the diamond fell out of my wedding ring while we were camping. I discovered it on the way home and was legit inconsolable, we went back to search for it. I don't have a big stone, I never wanted one, so that made it harder to find. By some miracle we found it in the sheets of our bed. When we got home Hubby had to cut the ring off of my finger which of course did not go over well. I started wearing my 5th anniversary ring as a replacement until we could afford to get it fixed. Never realizing we would go through some difficult years making it impossible.

Fast forward to yesterday when I open a music box engraved with a quote that we have signed every card and letter with, playing You are my Sunshine, which is the song we sung with the boys from the time they were babies. Que the beginning of ugly cry. The next box did me in completely. I could not get my anniversary ring off fast enough.

This year was our 30th wedding anniversary. I can't imagine spending my life we anyone else.

M called yesterday evening as well. He sounded good. They got ham and hot chocolate for dinner. They have been building plexiglass barriers (Covid) in wood shop and he said they finally finished those so now he can get back to building other things. The parole hearing in DC is January 13th, so hopefully that will go well.

 

Hugs

One of the things I miss the most about M is his hugs. He was always the most affectionate child. Always ready with a huge hug and an "I love you Mom". As a baby he was the sleep one who would snuggle close and fall asleep in my arms. He would just climb into my lap for snuggles at random times.

Our oldest and youngest are not like that. LOL! 

Our oldest is a rare one to give a hug and never initiates it. He was the baby who would twist and turn and push away from you even at birth. He gives side hugs and is much more serious. He is so much like his father.

Our youngest is a bit different. He is highly empathetic and emotional. But he tries to hide it. He hates that he is so emotional. When he was little he would yell at us if his brothers got in trouble. He has never been that terribly affectionate but would tolerate a hug. 

There has been a change in our youngest this past year. J will often walk up to me and ask if I want a hug! This is so unlike him. I am wondering if M said something to him. Or if his empathy knows that Mom just needs a hug.  

He gives huge hugs like M. 

I like this change in him.