Deciding For Himself

When a boy becomes a man, it’s hard not to reflect on the boy he was, and what things brought him to the kind of man he has now become. For my grandnephew, Matthew “Matt” Masterson, that means thinking about the fact that he was the only son of my nephew, Rob Masterson and his wife, Dustie Masterson. Matt had three sisters, Christina Masterson (who lives in Colorado), Raelynn Masterson, and Taylor Masterson. Growing up with three sisters, Matt often found himself needing to be a man among his siblings, even though he was still a boy. Nevertheless, Matt stepped up to the plate.

Christina wasn’t with Matt as much as the other girls, so he didn’t have to protect her so much. Nevertheless, they were sibling friends, and they love each other very much. Raelynn probably needed her brother the most. She is just a little over two years older than Matt, but when it came to the things she “just couldn’t deal with,” Matt stepped up…literally. Raelynn was afraid of ants…to the point that she didn’t want to share the same sidewalk with them. I get it. Bugs in general just have no business being alive, and yes, I know that they each have their purpose, but not in my world. Matt, being the brave boy he was, would walk in front of his sweet sister, and kill the ants, so the sidewalk was clear for he to walk. His sister, Taylor has a tender head, and her mom, Dustie, in a hurry to get three kids ready for school and such, just wasn’t gentle enough for Taylor. Enter Matt, he was very careful not to pull his sister’s hair, but he was still able to get it brushed and get her ready for school.

Matt is growing in the Lord too, and these days, he and his mom have been having mature conversations about God, politics, and other current events. Matt has a good grasp on what’s going on in the world and like his mom, he researches it from both angles to make a better-informed decision as to which side of the coin he is on. Matt will be voting in his first election this next year, and he is very excited to be able to participate in the election process. Matt has decided that he is a Republican, and that was after much research and making up his own mind. His mom very much encouraged, because she always insisted that they all do their own research and decide for themselves. Matt took that very seriously. While Covid messed with Matt’s high school career, he plans to get his GED and wants to go to college. He hasn’t decided on a course of study yet, but he wants college. He truly is growing into a fine young man, and his parents are very proud of him. Today is Matt’s 18th birthday. Happy birthday Matt!! Have a great day!! We love you!!