Him Called Merse

Greetings. My name is Stephen Mercer, also known as Merse, along with numerous other monikers you may or may not learn over time. Let me introduce myself by telling you first and foremost I am a family man. I have a beautiful wife Jaimie and 3 amazing boys (Averey 7, Alexander 5 and our newest edition Abel who is a staggering 6 months). As of last year, I have become a stay at home father while Jaimie brings home the bacon. This has most definitely taken some getting used to, BUT I'm beginning to make great strides. I cook. I clean. I pick-up and drop off. I am still getting the hang of the whole laundry thing, but I DO have the equivalent of a Bachelors degree in second grade math. When I'm not father of the year, I am a musician, a writer, a poet, a thinker, a spectator, pop culture addict and all around swell fellow. I am starting this blog to vent, share, collect and inspire. One might wonder the significance of the name The Broken Toy Box. Let me enlighten you.

As a child, I had this Little Tikes football toy box. It was my world. It traveled to every bedroom into every home that I was blessed enough to live in. After years of cramming it full of He-men and Thundercats, it cracked. It wasn't a death blow to my toy haven but it was noticeable.Year after year the crack grew. Still I filled it to the brim. Whenever a storm trooper or feisty ewok had made its glorious escape, I would simply grab it up and toss it back on top. I have become this toy box. I have seen and experienced many things and I keep them all inside. It's not always the healthiest thing to do, but it's my mechanism and so far it has worked. You might say over the years and the family, and the car payments, and rent checks along with a healthy dose of life's other stresses, I have formed a bit of a crack in my side. Therefore, I write. I watch. I listen. It helps tremendously and I am hoping to share my scribbles with you. I won't let myself totally hang out in this initial post but I promise you that I will indeed unfold as time goes on. My name is Merse. Thanks for looking at me.