The Ultimate Feel Good Story

The Story of Job from the Old testament of the Bible is one that gives us insight into God's heart. He did not create robots, or mental and emotional slaves, but in mankind God gave us a will to choose following Him, or to go another path. Any person on the planet with a pulse knows that when someone truly LOVES with their whole heart the atmosphere surrounding them is sweeter, more joyful than following out of duty, obligation, or force. Job was given many trials to withstand and at the end of the story he was rewarded. That is a feel good story from classic literature.

The all knowing "who's who" of literature that deem certain passages better than others, certain authors above others, and the "classics" in that group of stories and books many times are searching, searching for truths, for directions, or for inner most feelings. Most of the great writers of history had holes in their personalities, or their psyches that caused them great anguish and suffering in which they wrote about. Melville's inability to commit to God, Dostoevsky's gambling addiction causing his poor station (monetarily) in life, Dickinson's insecurity, Kafka's, unwillingness to live under anothers authority, to mention just a few - these giants of the literary world have gifts 'far beyond those of mortal men.'

I truly wish I could write about the fantastic voyage my life has taken. I would tell how God has blessed me in the face of my selfish ways, my stubborn actions and my ignorant ideals. I have seven beautiful and healthy children today. They all have their own stories of struggles and strife, some stemming from my inability as a parent, but most just the breaks of being human. In the book of Matthew 5:45, Jesus said that God makes the sun to shine on both the good and the evil, and rain on the righteous and the unrighteous man or woman. In the seven children I have raised, helped raise, or just fathered, there are a myriad of maladies, and personal issues that would make many folks quiver with fear. A parent lives on the edge every day praying to whatever Deity that their children are safe and healthy, and mine have had malignant tumors in their head, Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome, an aortic valve malfunction, infected cysts on the brain, crossed eyes, and extra fingers and toes. Although these kids all had their burdens, along with divorced parents, today I have seven healthy kids, four high school graduates so far, three to go, one college grad, and two gorgeous grandchildren.

Let me make this perfectly clear, I take no credit for their fortunate health, but I worried and grieved as each one went through their own ordeals. God's grace kept my mind intact and helped get my wife and I through every trial. Those kids are my life, and regardless of status, whether step child, first marriage, adopted or second marriage, there is nothing I would not give for them or to them for their benefit!