stepmonster, fambly, chain down the world 'cause here he comes...

i was a stepmom for 14 yrs to a young man whom i did not raise (he was w/his mother in another town several hrs away) & didn't see much. i was always nice to him, tho i now can see i was myopic & self-centered, not capable of much better at that time. when i realized my error, he graciously allowed me to speak w/him & then even more graciously accepted my amends, so today am grateful he & i have friendly interaction, in spite of me... today i got to speak to him by phone for a good spell & concluded he's quite a fellow, a happy & successful adult who himself will be married this yr!... yes, this day turned into quite a nice one. i'd promised my new stepson we'd do something on his day off, so we took off to the movies while his dad recuperated from a 5-show week... we got lost, watched a pretty darned scary flick we both enjoyed, then went on an adventure walk, ending up at a ridiculously swanky mall where we made ourselves sick on dessert at a tacky jungle-themed restaurant, sampled fancy tea, looked at toys, then luxuriated in brookstone ultra-fancy massage chairs for 15-20 mins, giggling & moaning & agreeing we didn't feel one bit guilty for hogging the chairs. we brought home fast food for james, who was finally awake & seeming better-rested, watched futurama & ate the tasty crap, & now i just wanted to chronicle the eve before climbing in w/my dear husband, under brand new sheets, even. he, once the guy who never slumbered, but instead stayed up for days at a run then passed out in painful & miserable oblivion, sleeps peacefully as i type. his gentle burring & breathing & murmuring make such lovely music. and isn't that just one more wonderful quality of james's?: he doesn't even snore! :D ... last night, a fan who proudly told me he used to buy james wild turkey the moment he walked in the door came up & said, "i noticed james isn't drinking. what can i buy him?" i was touched by his solicitude. on break, he told james, "i'm so proud of you, brother, so happy for you! you sound great, you look better than i've ever seen you. what's next?" james said, what do you mean? "i mean, i've followed in your footsteps this far. what's the next chapter gonna be for all of us?" james, always a powerful influence on so many, now finds himself leading people toward light instead of dark. scores of people've expressed their happiness for us, for him, for the direction his life's taking, & how wonderful, i told james last night & he agreed, that our happiness seems to be having such a positive influence on those we know or who just know of us (but especially him because he is the celebrity in this partnership)... for james, this quote from george elliot: "blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul upon another" as well as emerson: "who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being?" the good springing from this situation already is tremendous. we look forward to each day, and may you, as well.