Chase is the kid that I’ve always worried about some girl coming along and totally destroying him.  You see, Chase does everything hard.  He plays hard. He loves hard. He falls hard.  I’ve never worried about Hunter in this aspect.  Hunter walks to his own beat and is not a people pleaser.

Not Chase.  Chase tries to see the good in a person that will treat him like gum on the sole of their shoe.   I asked him once why he tolerated some of the things he did.  And his response brought me to my knees, literally.   He said that he had watched mine and Preston’s marriage, and the trials that came.  He said I never gave up. I pushed through every single trial.  He said he wanted to be like us…. never give up. That was a tough pill to swallow.  Especially seeing him so miserable.  Absolutely miserable.   That’s not love.

I’ll admit that after that conversation, I conspired with the crow and we’ve prayed a girl or two out of Chase’s life. And it worked.

Then came Katie.

And what a blessing she is.  They are only into their relationship a few months but it is a beautiful sight.  She loves my boy. And encourages him.   She loves Chase for who he is.  She knows he isn’t perfect and  she’s okay with his flaws.    Her family wholeheartedly accepts him.  Chase adores her. And loves her and loves them.  Chase is happy.  Not because life is perfect.  But becuase he is experiencing for the first time was true love is.

We love her and are so thankful that God brought such a genuinely good girl with wholesome values into all of our lives, especially Chase’s.   It’s a blessing to see her sitting on the church pew with us most Sunday’s.  They are not running the streets on weekend nights and doing bad things. These are genuinely good kids being good influences on each other.

I’m so proud of both of them, for working towards the goals that have set for themselves. They talk about a future together, but the teenage, hormone fueled rush is not there.  Maturity, common sense, priorities, and goals are the current focus.

THIS is the girl that I’ll encourage my son to use that “never give up” life line of his on.  And Preston and I will support the healthiness of this relationship everyday, God willing.

In the meantime, thank you Katie for how you treat my son, and for helping him find his way in God’s plan for his life. You hold a special place in all of our hearts.

Thankful mama,

the beancounter