I wrote here a while back about how my two boys, Zach and Zane, came to live with us permanently at the end of November. To say that our holiday season was crazy, filled with ups and downs, and tiring would barely scratch the surface.

Throughout this time, Trish, the love of my life, and my children Billy, Stephanie, and Katie, have been the boat that kept me above the water. Trish has taken the boys in and given them a home – the kids have drawn them in and made them part of the family. There are a lot of very basic differences in the way the two groups of kids were raised, but we are making headway toward a unified front.

This weekend we take a big step forward as rooms get re-arranged, and the boys get their own bedroom. Trish spent tireless hours finding the right furniture, planning the logistics of what has to be done to make all of this happen, and begin one step (or more) ahead of me in just about every area.

I know that the loss of their mother will be with my boys for the rest of their life, but they have truly gained a new family, and the best the world has to give in Trish. I think, slowly, that the clouds are beginning to clear.

Believe me – with three teenage boys in the house, there are plenty of clouds.

-DNW