Way To Go Bro!

I have to give a shout out to my brother, Alan, who is one of my best friends (hoping it is reciprocal!).  In February, he was able to move into a house, right across the street from us.  He has worked for the past 17 years with an insurance company and has always wanted his own house.  Thanks to our dad, who purchased the house, Alan is able to make payments on a rent to own basis and he knows the landlord pretty well.

So, for the month of February and most of March, we have been busy painting, especially the doors, windows and trim, plus cleaning the house as well as the apartment he moved out of.

Alan at home

He wears a leg brace from the hip down due to a birth defect, Klippel-Trenauney-Weber syndrome, and a luxating patella, so he just needs a little extra help.  It will be nice to have him so close.  He truly is an inspiration to others, as the doctors said when he was little that he would never be able to walk very far.  However, in Philippians 4:13 the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me”.  Amen to that!  Alan is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, has white water rafted and earned the Swimmers merit badge by swimming a mile across a lake in Michigan, plus showed horses in 4-H.  Way to go bro, indeed!

Alan and his Equinox

Alan has lived in apartments for over 16 years, but he loves the peace and quiet of the country.  We are in the middle of farmland, with cattle on three sides, and he loves it here.  Next door there is a herd of sheep and the man that owns them has asked if he can fence in the back of Alan’s property to extend their pasture.  Of course he said yes, (less mowing for us) and he is looking forward to watching them graze as he sits with a coffee or iced tea out back.  After all, its the Southern thing to do!  Congratulations Alan!

New lambs at the farm next door