Being the Co-Pilot to catch J's Dreams

This is J's month and so I have a lot of stuff directed toward him and my memories... Enjoy.



*My friend Bob's Beechcraft. Still brings chills to see this. Planes. The feeling of flying!

Years ago J. decided he wanted to be a Pilot.

 

Long before he met his best friend whose Dad is a Pilot.

We live by an airport.

I guess it was sorta just meant to be that the desire would follow.

This wing makes me feel strong emotions... don't know why.
 

Long before I thought he could really know what he wanted to do but he said he wanted to fly those helicopters that save people's lives.

He must have got that idea by going to the hospital, seeing how cool it was when one took off or arrived carrying someone who was in dire need while I went in the other doors in dire need.


My friend, Dean Curtus has a program to help kids (older than the age J. was, 4)

decide and commit

to what they want to become professionally.

Dean's  program has cards in it to help HS aged kids nail down the steps to making that happen. In the program they tangibly decide what strengths they have,  etc.

It is called: Education Catch the Dream. And Dean, the Founder of the non-profits, had me and his daughter go through it one afternoon.

I must have been 33 or something.  I even had J. do the whole 'Education Catch the Dream' program to see it it would and could work on a kid. It did. He has a card that is still attached to a
Dream Catcher that hangs in my room. For some reason it is in here cause it is is cute that he wrote on it in his little kid hand writing.

Anyway, when we were doing the sequence of figuring out what he wanted to be and how to make it happen J. knew EXACTLY  what he wanted.



 Age makes us fear and give up I guess. When the work gets tough.

 He didn't know about counselors that help you figure out what forms to fill out to get a scholarship, or the impending hard work of learning a thing-he just knew me and what his heart wanted.

We went through cards that talked about strengths and weakneses and the hurdles that might come in the way. Being so young I didn't think he would be able to think of many but he nailed a few!

Numero Uno: money.

J: "Planes are expensive"

 he told me up to the table while Care's very old, and very (sorry Care) bad breathed bull dog looked up to us for any scraps of food to fall.

Yes, they are.

We had to scrape hard to earn to go purchase the ones at Wal-Mart. And, at 4, there aren't a lot of
" high end paying jobs." But we found a few, like taking advantage of the families love of Coca Cola and used that to earn some pennies.

After he had mastered learning to ride his bike at that age he wanted to pull his "trailer" that I'd pulled him in only a few weeks before, to haul his cans to the recyclers downtown.

Drivers LOVED this. Me on the orange bike and J. pulling the trailer.








We got more honks that day than when I was a tank top wearing flower girl for the city of I.F. pulling weeds outta the flower beds.
and went from there! We searched high and low for bi-planes.





J. coming in to give me tell me something and give me kiss. Padre snapped this photo of us in Yellowstone. It means a lot to me. You can barely see his bike seat above the bench but his camel bak is on and his helmet in place and I will never forget how J. helped me re-learn to ride a bike too.
After a stint of e. coli in the hospital he helped me find my barings. Thanks, Son.

That bike is now gone- traded in to help him get another bike and becuase I couldn't ride it. It was a bit big but is full of memories. I plan on riding again one day.

Anyway, back to the day of

 

Picking yer Profesion...

I laugh thinking about this day because it was full of fun. The sun was shining. The Curtus clan was climbing all over the yard and my kid was mixed up in it.

Kids were jumping on the tramp, on furniture, and their grandparents were on the floor playing games with them. There were no worries. Just living life. And it felt good.

In my mind I wanted to be like Dean and his wife there on the floor and engaged with their grandkids. They weren't rushed or stressed just enjoying their grandkids.

Jaden  took what he wrote down and strung it along the leather part of the Dream Catcher and hung it in his room. On the front it says his dream and on the back; how he will get it done.

In his best writing at that age he wrote: hard work. mom.

So I was co-pilot to make his dreams come true.  

 

That is a tall order.

Today I took him over to the church for an interview. He is turning 12 and that means he will pass the sacrament and become a decon. In our church this is a big step. He is getting the Priesthood.

I had Kurt make this logo that I love from Best Made. Co. It is the X in Ax.

 

 

In the Book of Mormon there is a section in Alma 39= I have it summarized and printed off what I wanted J. to think of when he saw this:

"Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins... for exept ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Oh, remember! and take it upon you, and cross yourself in these things."

For those of you unaware of the Book of Mormon and those of us who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints- the BofM is much like a blog. Important information however.  That was written on gold plates and lugged around by Prophets  so the people would remember what to do.

Anyway, Alma, like me, painstakingly wrote down some things he hoped his boys would remember otherwise they could choose a different path and be like chaff to the wind (Alma 37:15).

But if he keeps the commandments and remembers what his Dad told him he'd have power that not even the earth or hell could take from him. -- heavy stuff, Readers. But this is J's month and as his co-pilot, I have to do some co-piloting.

Alma continues and reminds them about God's promises. Which, compared to J and I's pinky promises- is huge. Alma had more than one son. (whew. I just have the one) One he had a lengthy letter and told him to teach repentance , faith in Jesus Christ, to be meek and lowly in heart, learn wisdom in his youth - where I come in- cry unto God (through prayer) cause your co-pilot can only do so much... and he'll need to counsel with God for direction.

In essence, if you keep the C's then you will pass this test, if not it will be a lot harder and you will be cut off from the presence of God. (home)



This house has a cute saying on it and it doesn't have "Home" squezzed in at the end. Sorry, neede more room.


Jaden and I have our moments where we have promised each other and commited not just to trying to work hard for what we want to do as a profession but enjoy life; to overcome the hurdles of getting back to God and Enjoy the journey- not just endure it.

 J. works hard and plays harder.

There is something about those moments when we give one another the eye and the pinkies are linked and vow to do what we say we will do. Like not give up. Ever.

This star says:

 

'Never give up until you see the Face of God.'

 

 That was said by Joseph Smith.

It is on our school "Communication Board." Which I hope he glances at on occassion.



I have to admit I am pretty astonished at what has been thrown at us as we've tried to make our dreams come to fruition.

Gotta stop here. my muscles hurt.