The Special Ladies Of My Life

What can be said about mothers that hasn’t already been said before? Many have waxed eloquent in heaping praises on the most important women in their lives. While my limited vocabulary won’t properly convey my thoughts and feelings in a way that will do justice for the special ladies in my life, I will do my best to articulate them anyway.

Since children cannot have the ability to understand the many sacrifices that their mothers make for them, there was no way I could properly thank my own mother for everything she did for me, not only when I was a baby and young boy, but also as a teenager and young adult.

Quite frankly, I still don’t fully understand. However, due to having my own family and watching my amazing wife (more on that later), I am much more appreciative of all that being a mother means.

My mother means much more than what I have time to write about. This brief blog summary won’t do her justice, but I’ll do my best.

My Mom was a clean freak. No, I mean it. When it was time to clean house, it had to be spotless. That included every room of the house, even our bedrooms. If things were not clean to her satisfaction, life was not going to be pleasant!!

Even though I didn’t like that particular trait about her when I was younger, I have to grown to admire the frame of mind that caused her to be that way. After all, I’m now married to a wonderful woman who shares that frame of mind. It is one of the ways that they express their deep and powerful love. A clean home and environment leads to happiness, at least where I live.

My Mom was not afraid to use a wooden paddle she hung above the kitchen sink. This wooden paddle had a small inscription that said, “Never smack a child in the face. Nature provides a better place.” Unfortunately, I earned the undesired privilege of having the infamous wooden paddle applied to my “better place” more times than I care to recall.

These occasions were not pleasant at all as a child, but I’m thankful she cared enough about my future to introduce loving discipline into my life as a child in order to teach valuable lessons that would help produce a responsible adult later on.

It may sound like my childhood was full of bad memories. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I remember many times when Mom would take Dwayne, myself, and our friends to go sledding out in the cold Michigan winters. We had more fun than you could imagine at “The Four Hills” and spent countless hours climbing up that crazy slope (probably took about 10 minutes after all the slipping and sliding) just to take a 30 second ride back down again.

While I didn’t understand the sacrifice she was making back then, I appreciate it with all my heart now. The fun didn’t stop with sledding trips. She would take us to a park to play, or give us money to walk to the corner store for some candy. I’ve told countless people I can’t relate to some who had troubled childhoods because mine seemed like a dream come true.

All those things pale in comparison to what I consider Mom’s most valuable contribution to the future of both Dwayne and myself. Mom knew how to pray for her family.

I wish I could honestly say I’ve been a perfect person all my life. The truth is there have been times of great struggle and difficulty. My Mom never made me feel like an outcast during these times. In fact, she reached out to embrace me, even when I resisted. But I knew Mom was praying…because I heard her. She cried out to God on my behalf, even when I felt like I could not.

Mom, thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. But I especially want to thank you for your unwavering and unconditional love shown to me throughout my nearly 40 years of life. I simply couldn’t have made it without you.

I want to say a few words about my wife, the amazing mother of my own two children. Being a witness to what she has experienced as a mother, I can honestly say that you could not pay me enough money to ever want to become a “mommy.” I simply don’t qualify, and would never want to.

I came to an extremely quick conclusion about this when Caleb was born. Hospital staff said that what Dawn experienced physically was an extreme rarity in childbirth. She suffered the consequences for weeks and months afterwards. Moments after Caleb was born, I walked over to her and told her she was my hero. I still feel that way.

Now we have two little boys, and my love and admiration for Dawn has just grown stronger. She has a special way of connecting to Caleb and Ethan that is special and unique. There are times I can only watch in awe and wonder.

She has done things for them I simply could not. She stayed up the entire night with Caleb the first day/night he had come home from the hospital because he would not stop crying. Sleepless nights became the norm for a while. While not easy, Dawn simply stepped up to do whatever was necessary. And she still does.

Dawn somehow manages to care for the kids, cook meals for the family, clean the house, work a part-time job from home, and at the end of the evening when the kids are in bed asleep, she still finds a way to connect with me and make me feel special.

Earlier today, I asked Caleb why he loves his Mommy. He said, “Because I love her, love her.” “But why?” I replied. His answer was simple and honest, “I don’t know.”

I think that sums up the way many men feel about their mothers and wives. Words just don’t seem adequate or sufficient when trying to describe how we feel about the most special ladies.

I’ve made a feeble attempt to describe my own thoughts and feelings, but they don’t properly reflect the heartfelt love, honor, and respect I feel on the inside toward my Mom and wife.

I’ll wrap this up by simply saying that I love you both very much, and appreciate all that you’ve done and continue to do.

Brotherly Bond

Having two boys of my own has brought back a lot of memories. Last night I watched Ethan jumping and cheering for Caleb as he "knocked out" his opponent while playing boxing on the WII game system. Their closeness and love for one another made me think back...

I grew up with one sibling, my brother Dwayne, who happens to be nearly three years younger than myself. We never fought a whole lot. Of course, that may have been because I had an unfair advantage in size and strength while we were young. However, each year around the holidays, as my extended family loves to retell stories of years and decades ago, we are reminded of episodes claiming I was actually mean to Dwayne. I simply can’t imagine that!!

The ability to get along with my younger brother paid off because during his last two years of high school I seriously thought we were witnessing the second coming of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was a serious athlete dedicated to rigorous workouts, including weightlifting, that made me think there was a possibility he could go pro at any of the three sports in which he was voted team captain: baseball, basketball, and football.

I was away at college for the majority of his storied high school athletic career. When I returned, I was able to enjoy watching nearly every game of his senior year. Not only was he bigger and stronger than most of his opponents, he also played with more tenacity, intensity, and yes, sometimes even nastiness (no, he didn’t learn that from me). His contribution was crucial to the success of his teams, and I enjoyed cheering them on.

It turned out he took the direction of playing football at the University of Georgetown. However, after a couple of years, he made a decision to stop playing football in favor of dedicating his time and energy to his studies. It was a great decision, and has opened up many opportunities in his life. If I sound proud of him, it's because I am. Not only is he an intelligent guy, but he’s also accomplished in his chosen profession. But beyond all of that, I love him because of bonds that were created years (sounds better than decades) ago. And even though we don’t get to talk as often as we’d like, I still think of him often and pray for him.

Why the nostalgia? As I mentioned above, I have two boys of my own now. They are only 19 months apart. So hopefully, Caleb won’t be able to bully Ethan around like I’m told I did to my younger brother (Dwayne, don’t believe ALL the stories). I watch them play together, laugh together, and yes, even hit and kick each other on occasion (I’ll have to put them in MMA classes so they can learn proper technique).

While they are young, I want them to create memories that will last for a lifetime, learn to respect each other even when they disagree, encourage each other to succeed, and ALWAYS have each other’s back. I want them to think back to their early years with a huge smile on their face, and tell their stories to the next generations of Drexlers.

As they get a little older and begin pursuing activities that interest them, I hope they cheer each other on. I hope they help each other to become the best they can be. I hope they’re able to pursue their passions and become successful in their chosen fields. But above all, I want them to enjoy the experience of forging a brotherly bond with each other. It’s something that can never be broken.

Introduction

Today, I’m excited to begin my “blogging” journey. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I’ll enjoy the experience of processing my thoughts and experiences, and communicating them through the power of words.

What will I write about? Great question, and I wish I had a definitive answer. There are a few things I’m sure you’ll read about; my family, my friends, my favorite sports (primarily mixed martial arts), my thoughts and opinions on current events as they happen, and things in general that make me go hmmmm…

For those that don’t know me, I have the most incredible family a man could ever desire. My beautiful wife of more than six years has enriched my life and helped me become a better man. We have two handsome boys. Our oldest turned three in January. Our youngest will be turning two in August.

Having two boys that young and close in age would keep anyone busy. They also keep us laughing, crying, and exhausted!! Those of you who have kids will relate. Those who do not will never understand until you have your own.

I wouldn’t trade my family for the entire world. We will go through good times and bad as a team. We will experience our share of triumphs as well as the terrible taste of temporary defeats. But when the dust settles, we will still be the Drexler family. I’ll still be mischievous, my wife will still be hot, Caleb will still be one of the smartest little boys I’ve ever known, and Ethan will still be distributing hugs and kisses like there’s no tomorrow.

So why name my blog “The Road To Glory”? That term has different connotations. On a spiritual level, it reminds us that life is a journey to our ultimate destination, which will be heaven for my family. Since I’m a man who enjoys sports of nearly any kind, the term conjures up thoughts of the work and dedication required to achieve the highest level of a given sport or contest.

Join me on my Road To Glory. Feel free to subscribe to my blog, visit often, and please feel free to leave comments.

Thank you!!