Halftime

Patrick is currently leading our March Madness pool with a ten point lead over one of Steve's business partners and a sixty-three point advantage over the last place person who is... well it doesn't matter who I am. That's not important. What is important is that it is apparently possible to do pretty well in the first round if you follow a pattern of clicking on every other link. But he's going down in the second round. There are no mommies in bracketology- each man stands alone. I don't spend hours studying the collected works of this country's greatest sports columnists only to be humiliated by someone who thinks there might be a state in these United named "Butler" and who can't tell the difference between a steal and a foul. 

Besides he has Florida picked to win it all and CLEARLY Georgetown will prevail.

Would you like to hear something very sweet?

Yet another person who did not know Steve existed was the mother of Steve's half-brothers, his birth father's wife of some thirty-odd years. They divorced about five years ago (just as Steve contacted his birth father for the first time) and he had never told her that Steve had been born or that he had gotten in touch as an adult.

Steve's brothers were a little worried about how she might take the news. The divorce had been bitter and followed many years of infidelity on his part. Would she feel like Steve was another betrayal; like another secret her husband had kept from her? Because she had a lot going on professionally last month, they waited until this week to tell her about Steve.

He got this in an email yesterday:

"Mom was thrilled.  She is very eager to someday get all 3 of us at her place for some spoilings.  Family invited too.  I must admit, she was a little jealous that I have a half nephew and she doesn't get any grandkids out of the deal. She was mostly thrilled that Kevin and I have a little more family to know and love."

What a lovely and gracious response.

Basketball's on. More later.

Comments

[Pam L]

Very cool of the half brother's Mom. It is hard to know how one will react. Very cool. The more the merrier for family- yay for Steve.

[Sue]

Wow. Just WOW. That is beautiful!

[Abby]

It sounds like you have a good catch who comes from very loving stock. Beautiful!

And the HEELS will prevail AGAIN. Of COURSE.

Sorry, as a UNC alumna I bleed Carolina Blue.

(But seriously, as long as dook is out, I'm at least 50% happy. Ahem.)

[Audrey]

Wow, what an amazing lady....to take a situation that could have been extremely bitter and make a wonderful gesture like that.

And of course Patrick's kicking ass at the brackets. In my high school, it was always the people who picked whoever's team had the prettiest jerseys who won.....

[Another Anna]

Good on ya, Steve's biological dad's ex-wife. Such class. Such warmth.

I love hearing about people not being jerks.

[CharmingDriver]

Wow - That lady is good people, for real and true. Awesome.

[Carrie]

The half-step-mother-whatever's response warms the cockles of my heart. What a great person to get to have in your life.

[Cat, Galloping]

That is the definition of grace. Wow.

[puppermom]

Love you. Love your blog. Sorry you're wrong though.

Bruins all the way !!!

[Flippy]

Awww, that's so great for Steve. What a nice family that is.

Oh, and I mostly couldn't care less about college basketball, but I just wanted to let you know that UNLV is going to win. We're going to relive the Runnin' Rebels Tarkanian glory year of 1990. The sins of the city were all forgotten, so everyone could love a bunch of college basketball players.

Off to enjoy some corned beef & cabbage, along with Hockey Night in Canada...the important sporting event this weekend.

[Sally]

Alas...I always feel very out of the loop (or brackets) during March Madness, probably because I went to music college. I just know many husbandly eye rolls are directed my way during these weeks. My 85 year old Grandma; however, spends her days parked on the edge of her recliner in her housecoat screaming at every player and coach in every game by name. Not a stray mahjong tile to be found around her place when college b-ball's on, no sir. She's adorable. And speaking of...
What a graceful response about Steve. Very "big picture" of her.
So GO...teams that play the basketball!

[Amy]

Yes! Good things-and good people-happening to good people! Good for you folks!

[Lisa V]

Great response. "Adoption" at it's finest, embracing all familial relationships. Seeing the ties between families, not pointing out the differences. Very classy.

[winecat]

Oh come on everyone knows UC Davis is going to win. WHAT we're not even invited????

Classy person, Steve's half brother's wife. Perhaps this whole picture will change adoption in Steve's eyes?

[Ruth]

That is one classy lady. I am so happy for Steve.

[Lisa]

"for some spoilings" - I love that. Lovely and gracious response, indeed.

Georgetown better prevail. My father is currently reliving his youth following the team around the country - a 63 year-old man road-tripping. He sounded down-right giddy (or drunk) from Winston-Salem tonight. It is fun to see your parents act irresponsibly as long as it has nothing to do with your inheritance.

[Adrienne]

Other Stanford alums seemed shocked when we were knocked out in the first round, and indignant that I hadn't put them in my bracket at all. Morons.

Speaking of which, my bracket, called "Dumb Luck," is currently doing pretty well. (Excluding Stanford was pretty much the only informed decision I made there.) I applaud Patrick's strategy... I am sure it is similar to mine. And March Madness is much more fun this year!

[Sandy]

It sounds like Steve is related to some good people...lovely!

And I'm pulling for the women's Oklahoma Sooners to win the big game...the men are already out..

I don't have a preference for the men's finals...don't even know who's playing..lol

[MollieBee]

I'm so excited for all of you. The more the merrier, right?

[Sarah]

lovely lovely lovely

didn't get anything at all you said in the first bit. i'm english. i sensed it might have something to do with sport. i'm also not at all sporty

[Holly]

Wow. You're absolutely right. Lovely and gracious. Wow.

[Heather B.]

I knew I loved you for a reason. I have Georgetown winning even though the rest of my bracket looks like a blind illiterate person who has never even heard of March madness, perhaps has never even heard of March.

It's really bad. But Georgetown, baby. Georgetown.

[Toni]

I once won big money on Gonzaga (sp?) b/c I liked the name. Same reason why I also won the work football league awhile back - Bubba Franks had a cool name - and Tom Brady was hot - not to mention turned out pretty good that year.

Firm believer in prettiest jersey (or face) theory. Go Patrick!!

[Natalee]

So happy for Steve.

Oh, and Sandy is right-OU Women's will win the Nat'l Title!!! Boomer Sooner!!

[Anna]

I am being comprehensively beaten in our tipping pool by my 6 year old nephew, who chooses his teams based on whether or not the team is named after an animal.

Oh the humanity.

[Aurelia]

I'm so happy to hear about even MORE nice family coming Steve's way. She sounds like a very lovely woman. I'm beginning to think I should go looking for more of my bio family on my birth Dad's side and not just my Mom's. His story is inspiring me!

Sorry to hear you are in 63rd place with March Madness...*grin*.

[laughing mommy]

Happy birth family stories are the best! *sigh*

[bj]

I'm rooting for Patrick. It'll prove something deep and fundamental about the universe. So there.

bj

[jana]

Oh, that's awesome. Such grace.

[kathleen999]

That's very cool about Steve's brothers' mom. Maybe she will want to be an honorary grandma? You never know. She sounds like a lovely person.

[Coral]

Brilliant re; Steve's family! I am really happy for him.

[Flicka]

Steve's stepmom (?) seems very gracious. What a lovely response.

[Meg]

How lovely!

And Patrick is quite brillant! Of course, Florida is going to repeat! He must be aware that we are college football national champs as well? Bright boy!

[Jennifer]

If it makes you feel any better, in our pool, my manager's 3 year old is kicking everybody's butt. That's the fun of March Madness-who knows where it is going to go?

On another note, what an awesome lady Steve has found in his birth father's ex. That type of grace is so missing in the world.

[Denise]

How wonderful!! Can't she be Patrick's step-grandmom???

[Diane]

3 of my final 4 are gone. We take our son to the racetrack (horsies) and he wins big all the time simply by betting on the color. Ticks me off.

[silene]

That woman is some kind of classy. It's lovely to hear about gracious, open, welcoming people - you know, to counteract the jackasses.

[Abigail]

Florida is a good pick but UCLA is going to rise up and take vengeance against all you Pac-10 dissin' East Coast bias having haters and take it all. Running Rebels in the Sweet 16? Yup, I had that. Got to show the boys in the pool how it's done.

Steve's step-grand whatever sounds very cool.

[FHT]

I like Patricks method. I may try that myself next year.

Here's how I have vaulted number 1 in our family's pool thus far. I ask myself the following questions:
1. Which mascot do I like better?
2. How many familiy members graduated from that school?
3. How do I feel about the area of the country that the school is located in?

My basketball mad family is greatly distressed that yet again a complete ignorance of the sport combined with odd questions has me in the lead.

[Molly]

Classy woman. Pity she couldn't have raised Steve, when the woman he called Mom wasn't capable of loving him as her own.

[WendyP]

I'm tall but neither play nor know anything about basketball. People would ask all the time. It's like assuming short people are good at miniature golf.

Considering that I come from a family that recognized the familial relationship "wife-in-law" (husband's ex) and treated those in that category like sisters, I'm sure something can be done about Patrick and Steve's birth-father's-ex. Especially if she wants a grandboy. She sounds like the right sort!

[Jill]

Now I know who I want to be when I grow up.

[Sara]

Steve's bio brothers' mom sounds like a wonderful woman. I'm so glad that he has made this connection, and that it's going so well.