Helpful Side Effects

Yesterday I wrote of the wild & crazy. Everyone has people like that in their life. Now let me write of the sane and dependable people. The people in my life for whom I care and would give anything. These are people whose names come up frequently in my mind - particularly when I am searching for things for which to give thanks, as per 1 Thessolonians 5:18.

Naturally, I am thankful for my family. My wife, children, parents, siblings and inlaws.
Naturally I am thankful for my friends. My clients, students, buddies, fellow martial artists, and such.
These are the people - other than my wife, who is everything for me - that really stand out.
Please note: there is no "order" for which I care to place them, I'm just listing them out randomly.

A )
Right Minded. I cannot currently recall exactly how long we have attended his Sunday School class. Through deduction and using as a basis conversations over the years, we joined shortly after he was named teacher of the class. We've seen some folks go, we've seen some come in. Other than Right Minded and his wife, there is one family that's been there longer. This Sunday School class is the single reason we attend the church we do.
Right Minded is a man's man when it comes to integrity and rationale. He is the inspiration for this humble blog, as he himself was a blogger. He has provided wisdom when it was most needed time and time again. Funny thing: I don't think he even knows it... at least until he gets this post.

B )
Rich / Lee ("Gdaddy" and "Gmommy"). Rich for me, Lee for my wife. Though they came into our lives rather recently, Rich and Lee are salt of the Earth people who strive to do what's right in everything they do. Constantly positive, even in negative situations. Rich is a good buddy who also shares a lot of the same interests I do. Having him in my jiu-jitsu class is a real treat for me... even when (as he often does) he says nothing whatsoever.

C )
Pops. The subject of the "Pops-isms" and the genetic contributor to my sarcastic and sense-of-humor sides. The man who taught me how to shoot, provided my love for the martial arts, and generally was a father to me in a world where real fathers are fewer and fewer in number. He provides wisdom when needed, yet does not meddle. He is also a great grandfather to my kids.

D )
Mr. Smith at Spirit Martial Arts. He is the liberal to my conservative. That said, we share a love for the martial arts as well as all things firearm. As liberal as he claims to be, he is really quite socially conservative (don't tell him that), but still provides a nice, friendly counterpoint to my point. If you ever see and "Mutt 'n' Jeff" lookin' pair of guys at the range with Spirit Martial Arts hats on, it's us... I'm the taller one.

E )
Randy from my SS class. Randy is a bit older than me - like a big brother would be. Those that don't know him well would say he's the quieter one. Those folks have never seen us at lunch! Randy is another shooting buddy. I'll probably talk him into fishing some with me, too this year. Randy is often playing the part of the big brother I never really had (I'm the oldest of three). I still want to see him lead a SS lesson - though he'd never want to.


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