Mancunian

Thanks for commenting @Backwoods Boy, having an editor does make big positive difference, as does a beta reader. The couple of times that I have had the assistance of an editor have been good, positive and appreciated. It's definitely something I would consider again in the future.

Thank you for commenting on the blog, I hope you take comfort in the memory of the love and understanding you had with your father those memories are special. I believe that grief and how we cope with it is different for everyone, but I also believe that we honour those that have passed when we say that we remember them, miss them and still love them. That belief helps me to live and enjoy life the best I can and be the best that I can be and hope that others can do the same. My life now is as normal as it can be for me at present. I'm only in my early forties but semi-retired due to health reasons, I sometimes work as a consultant in the retail and pawnbroking industry and continue to be active with the same organisation that my father and I volunteered with.

I've just read the prologue which gives the hope of a fascinating story to follow. I can't believe I missed this on my journey through the archives, now I must read the rest of this story. Thank you @Cia for bringing it to our attention.

Dan is a remarkable man and the boys actions are a reflection of the love that he gives them and they freely give to him. There is no more valuable or precious gift that they could give to each other than to become real family. Thank you for this uplifting chapter.

A beautifully sweet story of the innocence of the chase between two boys, it captures you and melts your heart. A recommended story that is well worth reading more than once.

Is it a chase, or is it a dance? Either way I loved this really cute sweet story of young love blossoming. I would have loved to have an experience like this this as a youth, but hey we can't have everything. Thank you for a story full of hope and imagination.

This is a gritty, realistic story that will have you wondering 'WTF' and at other times going 'AAAWWWWWW', yes it really does. I hated this story in parts because it had me worried for the main characters, it felt that real. But you know what, I really love this story and I know others will too. So stop reading reviews and go read it, I'm sure everyone will give it five stars just like other reviewers and I have done. This is definitely a recommended read.

I think we can safely say that the boys are 100% good now, even to the point of Mitchell defending Jason and Alex from bullies. They reaction of Mitchell's wrestling team-mates tells me there is more acceptance in school than bullies which is good.

I can and do understand Jason and Alex's disappointment at Dan's decision, but I can also see that if we ask for equal acceptance and treatment we have to accept it in all of it's forms. As for Alex's dad, well we now see that he is not as accepting he claimed to be, I guess it was just a false front in the hope it was just a 'passing phase', at least now he has let his guard down Alex knows what he is up against.

I can't believe that I haven't read this story until now, well I do know why. I always said westerns were not my kind of story, but then I read one written by Headstall and loved it now he has me converted. Then I read this one, it's brilliantly written and fits its timeline well. If you don't believe me then read it and find out for yourself, trust me you won't regret it. I'm not going to give the story line away, I want everyone to read and enjoy it as I did. Headstall is a skilled writer who knows how to write and satisfy his readers, I strongly recommend this as a must read.

Thank you @Myr this is brilliant, I've read many of the stories nominated but there are some that I haven't read as yet. I hope others will do as I will, I'll be treating this as a reading list. I hope that newer members will get to read and appreciate some of the older stories as a result of your hard work.

When you write a good story readers are always waiting, that's when you know you are doing something good, and this is a good story.

There's a lot of healing going on, the boys are healing in their grief about their parents, and they are all healing from the fallout of events between Jason, Mitchell and Alex. They are also building on the foundations of their existing relationships and making them stronger, all of this is good and will bring them all closer than they have ever been.

It's easy to focus too much on the past and what Tom's faults and beliefs were. I think that proves that none of us are perfect and sometimes those imperfections don't come to light until after we are gone. Tom's, now obvious, fault was that he was a homophobic prick, yes it has had lasting effects in the way it has affected both of his son's leaving Dan the unenviable task of undoing that harm. In all other respects he appears to have been a good husband and father, so let's at least give him some credit and maintain what good memories we can for the sake of Jason and Mitchell, they are the main concern now. Mitchell seems to be coming round now, that's due to Dan's use of good argument and using the love the boys have for each other, not to mention by planting the seed in Mitchell that get his analytical mind thinking and processing logically. It's not going to happen overnight and will take time, but it will happen and has started, Mitchell will come round given time, I think he will be a better person for it. Jason and Alex will recover from the abuse in time, but again it will not happen overnight and they may well recover at a different pace to each other, but the good news is that healing has also started. I think, for now at least, they are giving Mitchell the benefit of the doubt which won't be easy, hopefully they will eventually forgive Mitchell but they will never forget. That in itself is a valuable life lesson, as you cannot trust everyone or take them on face value, sometimes you need to see what lies beneath the surface and remember withholding trust till a later date can be a part of giving someone a chance to grow and prove themselves, as the saying goes 'never judge a book by it's cover'. There are many life lessons here for Dan and the boys to learn from so that they all become better for them and better equipped to handle the future. The best news is, the healing has started, hopefully things will only get better in the future.

A beautifully told re-imagining of the original Christmas story. Thank you.

My heart goes out to Alex, he's hurting inside where no bandaid can be applied, he needs consoling too and understandably he feels let down by his 'Uncle Pop'. Dan could have, and should have, called before approaching Mitchell, this may have given Alex some peace of mind. His physical reaction to the trauma, while maybe extreme, is understandable and not surprising under the circumstances. I hope that Alex's parents are more understanding when they discover what has happened, Alex needs their compassion. I think the fact that Alex's parents are accepting speaks volumes about them and makes me question where Tom got his attitude and opinions from. I don't it is so much the church as maybe Tom's job and his work colleagues. I think Mitchells behaviour is more an extension of the atmosphere that Tom, his natural father, worked in and allowed to influence him.

I know 'tough love' is sometimes the answer, but this wasn't 'tough love', to me it verged on brutality. Maybe I'm biased because never once did my father ever raise his hand to me or my siblings. But I do understand that others may disagree with me, I sincerely hope that this is a 'one off' event and Dan never feels the need to behave like this again. I think there are lessons here for all to learn and I hope they do learn from them. This has been an ordeal for them as a family, one which I hope they can all recover from and become stronger together and individually.

I almost feel traumatised reading this chapter so heaven knows how Jason feels, and that's before we get to Alex's feelings. While the physical assault will hurt I'm more concerned about the mental and emotional damage both boys could suffer. I don't believe that Mitchell was thinking, but I'm concerned about what really made him react the way he did. I don't believe that was the true Mitchell so what has him behaving like that to brother that he loves? The root cause of that needs to be found out and addressed so that he can try to make amends.

I loved the interaction between Dan and Jason and I have to be honest it brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of so many similar 'chats' between my father and me, I'd give anything to be able to relive those days but that's not possible and they are distant memories now. You captured it well, nicely written.

Aaaahhhh the age of innocence. I think we all know what happened, the age of innocence met hormones and youthful experimentation. It can be explosive to the mind and disorienting, I hope they can work it out for themselves without any feelings of guilt.

I hope Dan enjoys these times as this is what memories are made of and they are making good memories.

Under the circumstances Dan and the boys are doing well, maybe too well as this could just be the 'honeymoon' period. The building blocks are there for the relationship to grow and become stronger, from the boys perspective this is probably due to the respect they have for Dan and the previous up-bringing they experienced from loving parents. I hope it continues on this path.

A skilfully written foundation for what promises to be an interesting and moving read. I'm drawn to the realism and looking forward to reading more of this story.

A nicely written story that draws you in, I just wish it had been longer.

This is one of those feel good stories that you want to read on a cold winters night, it will warm you up from the inside. Beautifully written.