Our youngest son Jonathan (51-years-old) left here today to fly back to his home in Kentucky. We will miss him.
Jon and his wife Misty came to see us a couple of weeks ago. Misty stayed two days before flying home to get back to work. Our son, who is Charlie’s business partner, remained in Mesquite to help with some fix-it chores, talk to his mother about business, and do some golfing with me. We had a great time.
We couldn’t be prouder of what Jonathan has become: a smart, hard-working man of many talents who is a good husband, parent, and doting grandparent. He was once a cabinetmaker who had his own business in Murrieta, California before the Great Recession wiped out ninety percent of the woodworking firms in our area of Southern California. Luckily for him, Charlie’s bookkeeping and tax service company was thriving and she needed help, so Jonathan pitched in, learned the ropes, and became a godsend for his mother. As the years have gone by, our son has become very skilled in this trade and is now doing most of the day-to-day work of Charlie Manning Bookkeeping. The Southern California billing rate is twice what he could earn in Kentucky, so Jonathan is making the most out of the remote working site in Lexington.
Jonathan is a tough guy; I guess that, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
He was the youngest of four sons and, accordingly, was taken advantage of by his brothers, bullied, and put down at every opportunity.
This is not uncommon with younger siblings, as I can confirm: my older brother Terry treated me like his footstool until my teens. As a result of Jonathan’s ordeal as a youngster, he had very low self-esteem as a high schooler and young adult. He also had poor judgment, as he let a very young girlfriend goad him into marriage (and three children) before he reached drinking age.
Divorce, drug abuse, and depression characterized his life before his biological father, Alex Heim, invited him to come up to Montana and learn the cabinetmaking business. It saved his life, because he learned a valuable skill, his self-confidence soared, and he met his future wife Misty…who may be the hardest-working person I’ve ever known (including Jonathan, who is no slouch).
Our son will admit that he wasn’t much of a father the first time around, when he was too young, lacked self-confidence, and had an explosive temper. He’s done a lot better with Misty and their child, Autumn, and has become a doting grandparent to Autumn’s son Killian. The whole family (Jon, Misty, Autumn, Killian, Autumn’s boyfriend, his 11-year-old son Dustin, and Misty’s mother) all live in one large house in Lexington, Kentucky and seem to be doing fine. Jonathan has definitely mellowed in the past decade or so.
Jonathan is a smart guy, a very quick learner, and adept with the newest digital technology. This is invaluable, because his mother and business partner, Charlie, is fading mentally (at 76 years old!) and her attention span isn’t what it used to be. So, our son is the perfect guy at the right time in our lives, kind of like the knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of the damsel in distress. His intelligence and patience with his Mom are invaluable.
Jon is also an excellent golfer (single-digit handicap) and bowler (210 average). I taught him how to golf and he taught me how to bowl. He can now whip my 74-year-old ass at both. Youth will be served.
We played two rounds of golf during his visit, one at Oasis Canyons G.C. and the other, yesterday, at Conestoga G.C., both Mesquite courses. Jonathan wiped me out by at least 10 strokes yesterday, but we had fun. We finished the day, his last here in town, with a nice teppanyaki meal at Samurai 21, one of the only decent restaurants in Mesquite.
Jonathan plans to return to Mesquite in the early Summer, while we are off RV’ing, with some Kentucky golf buddies who’ve never experienced the Southwest and its many visually-interesting desert courses. He can also show off our outdoor TV room, which we have renamed “Jon’s Man Cave”, where he made a habit of watching movies, sports, and playing fetch with the dogs.
We’re looking forward to his next visit: it can’t come soon enough for the pups, who miss him already.
