I was exhausted and brain dead when I got home from play practice last night around 9:30.  All I wanted to do was go to bed, stare blankly at my phone, play some Words with Friends, and nod off to sleep. It was about 10:30 when Joey walked down the hall to use the bathroom. I was alone in our room (JD had fallen asleep in Emma's room) and I watched him hobble down the hallway bumping into the only 2 walls between his room and the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush and here came Joey wide-eyed into our bedroom. I asked if he was OK and he said, God just whispered to me. Now, this is not the first time Joey has talked about God talking to him and telling him things, so I wasn't surprised.

I asked him what God said this time...he said, "God whispered in my ear, WAKE UP JOEY! WAKE up and put up the toilet seat so you don't pee on it. Your mom would not be happy if you peed on the seat." I told Joey how smart God was...

I thought that would be the end of our conversation, but he plopped himself down on the edge of the bed and started telling me about all the times God has talked to him. Now, if you know Joey, he is quite an amazing little man. He has the most amazing memory and can recall things that happened to him when he was just a baby. Things we have never told him about, but things he can clearly remember...it amazes JD and I all the time. It sends chills up my spine when Joey talks about his encounters with God and humbles me at the same time.

Joey left me with these words of wisdom last night before he went to bed. "Just listen...I'm sure He will talk to you, if you just listen."

I fell asleep and dreamt of a relative that passed away a few years ago. He was a great man...someone who was always happy, always willing to help out anyway he could. I loved him. In my dream we were playing baseball together and I introduced him to all my kids...he hugged them all, and then hugged me...I woke up crying. The last real memory I have of him is dancing with him at my wedding. It was the last time I saw him walk...he was put in a wheelchair a few months later.

So Joey, I'm listening...this is what I heard. Be thankful for the time you get to spend with your family and friends...cherish every moment, even if there is nothing extraordinary about the moment...Cherish it.