Fredericksburg Parent

22 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • June 2021 #Dadication #Dadication The name Samuel means "heard of God." That's why Steve Weber and his wife Kelly chose it for their son—because he was a miraculous answer to their prayers. But even paths to miracles can have rocky begin- nings, something Weber experienced firsthand. Four decades ago, Weber was a young drug addict, whose addiction was straining his rela- tionship with his father and on the brink of ruin- ing—possibly even ending—his life. "My habit got worse, resulting in two DWIs that should have both resulted in death due to over- dose," says Weber. "My dad didn't know how to handle me, and I think a part of him was prepar- ing to get 'the call.'" His dad never did get that call as Weber survived his 6-year period of drug abuse. Sober for over thirty years, he is now a business owner, a youth pastor and a construction ministry volunteer. He has been married for 16 years. He first met Kelly, a fifth-grade teacher at Fredericksburg Christian School, through a min- istry he started aimed at feeding the homeless. "Her love for God and for people was conta- gious," he recalls. "It didn't take me long to start like-liking her." Shortly after they began dating, Weber found out that Kelly had always wanted a family. He knew he had to be up front with her. "I shared with her that I couldn't biologically have children." Weber had been married once before and experienced issues with infertility. He had been told conceiving children would not be pos- sible for him. Despite Kelly's desire to have a family, they con- tinued to see each other and soon got married. Not long after their wedding, Kelly struggled with some medical issues herself. She, too, was told that conception was unlikely, and when it was recommended she have a hysterectomy, the hope of having a baby was lost. "Donʼt be afraid to tackle the tough questions. Be present. Listen to them." Lamont Brown may be a Marine Corps veteran, business owner and marathon runner, but he still talks to his parents at least five times a week. "My mom calls while my dad is in the room because he doesn't like being on the phone," he quips. Brown, a husband for 28 years and father of two boys, always wanted to be a dad, and he was blessed with an example of a close father-son relationship growing up. "He always took time out to take me to play golf, teach me things, and take me on business trips," Brown says of his father. He want- ed to follow that example. "...I taught by example..." Dadication LAMONT LAMONT BROWN This left the couple feeling confused. "Years before she met me, she felt that God had told her she would have a son," says Weber. "Of course, it didn't make sense that our chance of having kids went from slim to impossible." But that's the thing with miracles—they're not supposed to make sense. "God stepped in, and she got pregnant… by me…naturally…with a son!" says Weber. "This was a true miracle for us. In August of 2009, we became parents to our only child." Today, Samuel is 11 years old. He plays soccer and volunteers at the church he attends with his family. While the relationship between Weber and his father never fully recovered, the grandfather met his miracle grandson who was born just two months before his passing in 2009. Weber had served as a youth pastor once before, over twenty years ago, a position he left to serve as a pastor. He hadn't expected to work with teens again… "I am finding that, as a father, I am seeing these kids differently than I did the first time around," he says. "While culture has changed and the things teens are dealing with are slightly different than when I last worked closely with them, their needs are still the same — they want us to listen to them, and they want us to spend time with them." Steve Weber's Parenting Advice "Don't be afraid to tackle the tough ques- tions. Be Present. Listen to them." STEVE STEVE WEBER

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