by Ricky Doc Sauceda
As a young boy, my eldest son Ricky Jr. was in need of structure. He was troubled and was misbehaving in school...several schools as we nomadically moved for a few years searching for a "foothold" - a place for my wife and I to begin a progression towards a better life.
He was in his last year of elementary school when we were asked to take him to an assessment counselor. This individual wanted to take him out of a regular school and place him into a "special needs" school. I took my wife's hand, told him 'over my dead body' and ordered my children to the family car. I told him,"I will never give up on you, boy!"
This is when a time of building began for him. Who else can provide fatherly guidance and love, but one's father? I started having him read Zig Ziglar's "Top Performance" - one of the few books I have read in my life. We then began a regimen that would last until his senior year in high school. I began taking him to lunches and sharing deep thoughts and scripture with him.
Going into middle school, I signed him up for youth football. He resisted it. The issue was learning to tolerate being instructed (coached) and to learn to work with others to achieve desired goals. It was an arduous process and required most of my personal time. Something that made his sister feel like I didn't care for her as much as I did for her brother. I tried to compensate for this by having her mom "stick like glue" to her for the things she was interested in. I constantly talked to my wife as to how Teri was getting along.
Now, as a family, we did talk. When my daughter really needed me, I was there for her. That is why she is pursuing her bachelors degree in Art. I helped her sort out her goals and she finally realized what I had already seen in her - she has a passion for art.
Ricky Jr. has been struggling with himself for a few years now, and it began before his mom and I divorced. I have been praying very hard for him. Today, the Lord gifted me with a flat tire. I decided to call him and see if he could help me out. His little brother has a Honda Civic and can't accommodate the transporting of my bike very well. Ricky Jr. has a Chevrolet Impala.
Ricky and I had a talk about his friend who is dealing with a divorce now. He won't eat and thinks his life is over. Ricky has been encouraging him with "our talks." I always told Ricky that as long as The Lord is your foundation, you can rebuild your life if ever it falls apart.
This talk about FOUNDATION blew me away. I hugged him as he left to go back home. He was tired and things at that company he works for are tasking him. I understand what he is dealing with...I worked there for 17 seventeen years. I am very happy for him...very pleased with my son.