"Little boy in a baseball hat stands in the field with his ball and bat. Says, I am the greatest player of them all. Put his bat on his shoulder and he tosses up the ball and the ball goes up and the comes down. Swings his bat all the way around the worlds so still he can hear the sound. The baseball falls to the ground. Now the little boys doesn't say a word, picks up his ball, he is undeterred. Says, I am the greatest there has ever been. and he grits his teeth and he tried it again." Kenny Rogers
I thought about this song when my sister posted a picture of my nephew coaching his son in baseball. You might ask why my nephew? Well because my nephew was one of the best baseball players in the area. He could throw you out at home plate from the outfield and not even break a sweat. He was so tall when he pitched his hand almost touched home plate when he let go of the ball. To see him coaching his own son makes me smile because I know my great nephew is going to be one of the best from his school, just like his daddy.
"He makes no excuses, he shows no fear. He just closes his eyes and listens to the cheers." My nephew ain't skeered of nothing, as they say. He's one of the sweetest young men I know that loves kids and old people. He never made an excuse if he didn't play good but we always knew because he had a temper that showed up every now and then when he didn't. I'm not sure if he ever heard us cheering for him but if he didnt it wasnt because we weren't loud enough, especially if he was pitching and the ump wasn't calling strikes. I'm thinking he probably closed his eyes a few times hoping we would go away. But of course we didn't, we just got louder. LOL
This song makes me think this little boy is outside alone, throwing the ball up and trying to hit it. My idea of the picture is he's doesn't ever hit the ball but it doesn't deter him from trying and trying. He's making his own story up as he goes even when the moon is bright, his mama is calling him for supper and he misses one last time...strike three. Even though he strikes out and starts home he still thinks he's the greatest of them all, but now he's the greatest pitcher. I can just see him now strutting home for supper telling his mama what a great pitcher he is because he struck out the batter over and over.
Talk about turning the story around, this little boy certainly did. Kinda like my nephew. Things happened, he left college and baseball and went to work. But like I said earlier this kid ain't skeered of nothing , so he's taking life by the horns as they say. He got married, has two kids and he's going back to college. It's hard for him at times I'm sure, but it's not stopping him. He's doing it all and he's doing a dang good job of it. His little girl is a daddy's girl, his son will be one of the best (because he's got one of the best teaching him) and his wife just got her real estate license. So what more could a guy ask for?
Lesson for today? I just learned one myself. When life isn't what we thought it should be don't quit. Don't get stuck trying to be a certain way or do a particular thing. Always have a Plan B if Plan A doesn't work. "Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off...the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases." Rick Maksian
Now go ahead, suck it up, put on your best cleats and PITCH the heck out of life. It might just end up being a way better life than your original plan.
Friday, April 27, 2018
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Only God Knows Why
"I've been sittin' here trying to find myself. I get behind myself I need to rewind myself. Looking for the payback listening for the playback. They say that every man bleeds just like me." Kid Rock
OK this might get good if I'm quoting Kid Rock. But ya'll that know me know how much I love The Kidd as I call him..
I started this one last week after I left the funeral home for a dear friend. On the way home I'm thinking why Lord. Yes, I know we're not to question these things but I'm not questioning God, I'm just wondering why things happen the way they do. My friend was only 54 years old. That's just too young.
Everybody knew his name, especially his Wild Wings friends, ya'll know, the ones that sat at table 71.. Well hell's bells, I didn't know that table 71 was where we sat every Friday night. But tonight there was a special picture at table 71 of my friend and tonight we all went to say good bye and again on Friday after the funeral service we went back to table 71 to honor him AGAIN. Yep, he was the man of the hour again. We were all there with our favorite stories, and because some couldn't make it on Friday we went back on Saturday to honor him once again.
You might ask why would ya'll do this so many times? Well let me just tell you why. Jeff was the kinda friend you loved from the time you met him. He wasn't a celebrity but when we came through town on Friday, I bet people thought some big shot was in town. The traffic was stopped in all directions, all the way through town. I mean ALL directions. I bet he was loving that, him stopping traffic but then again he could stop you in your tracks just by telling a story and trust me stories he had.
If the line in this song "you get what you put in and people get what they deserve" is true, then my friend would be reaping all the rewards this earthly world could offer. People laughed at him all the time because of his craziness but I can promise right here as I'm writing this, he would give you the shirt off his back and I mean literally give it to you. I watched him many a night buy drinks for people that had way more money than him, but that didn't matter to him. That's just the way he was. He might forget to pay his bar tab a couple of times or more like every week but he always paid it the next day.
I know my friends life on earth was troubled and only he knew the pain but it didn't stop him from living life to the fullest. He loved people and if you were his friend, you had a friend for life. He worked with my daddy and he always said he would marry me one day. Of course we laughed about it but one day I told him that if my daddy ever said I could marry him I would do it, no questions. You see I could tell him this because I knew my daddy would never say that to him. He loved my daddy and my son and he never failed to ask about Pops as he called my daddy.
Tears are rolling down my cheek as I write this to honor my friend. A few tears are sad ones because I miss him but most are happy tears because I know without a doubt my friend is in heaven giving the angels a run for their money. I know this because he told me many times he was ready when his time came and the preacher confirmed it on Friday. The preacher said my friend told him many times, he was a Christian and knew where he would be when time comes. There was no doubt but when the preacher confirms it, well I can't help but shed a few happy tears.
Lesson today? I think my friend would want me to tell you not to wait to tell your friends you love them. Don't wait until you're standing at the funeral service wishing you had done this or that. If you're lucky enough to have friends like we do at table 71 don't be afraid to let them know what they mean to you. There was a lot of hugging going on last weekend and by golly when the weekend was over I'm sure we made our friend proud because you see he never left us without hugging it out. His last words to me two weeks before we lost him was "Luv ya hun."
So for my friend one last time...
Go rest high on that mountain son, your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin' love for the father and the son.
OK this might get good if I'm quoting Kid Rock. But ya'll that know me know how much I love The Kidd as I call him..
I started this one last week after I left the funeral home for a dear friend. On the way home I'm thinking why Lord. Yes, I know we're not to question these things but I'm not questioning God, I'm just wondering why things happen the way they do. My friend was only 54 years old. That's just too young.
Everybody knew his name, especially his Wild Wings friends, ya'll know, the ones that sat at table 71.. Well hell's bells, I didn't know that table 71 was where we sat every Friday night. But tonight there was a special picture at table 71 of my friend and tonight we all went to say good bye and again on Friday after the funeral service we went back to table 71 to honor him AGAIN. Yep, he was the man of the hour again. We were all there with our favorite stories, and because some couldn't make it on Friday we went back on Saturday to honor him once again.
You might ask why would ya'll do this so many times? Well let me just tell you why. Jeff was the kinda friend you loved from the time you met him. He wasn't a celebrity but when we came through town on Friday, I bet people thought some big shot was in town. The traffic was stopped in all directions, all the way through town. I mean ALL directions. I bet he was loving that, him stopping traffic but then again he could stop you in your tracks just by telling a story and trust me stories he had.
If the line in this song "you get what you put in and people get what they deserve" is true, then my friend would be reaping all the rewards this earthly world could offer. People laughed at him all the time because of his craziness but I can promise right here as I'm writing this, he would give you the shirt off his back and I mean literally give it to you. I watched him many a night buy drinks for people that had way more money than him, but that didn't matter to him. That's just the way he was. He might forget to pay his bar tab a couple of times or more like every week but he always paid it the next day.
I know my friends life on earth was troubled and only he knew the pain but it didn't stop him from living life to the fullest. He loved people and if you were his friend, you had a friend for life. He worked with my daddy and he always said he would marry me one day. Of course we laughed about it but one day I told him that if my daddy ever said I could marry him I would do it, no questions. You see I could tell him this because I knew my daddy would never say that to him. He loved my daddy and my son and he never failed to ask about Pops as he called my daddy.
Tears are rolling down my cheek as I write this to honor my friend. A few tears are sad ones because I miss him but most are happy tears because I know without a doubt my friend is in heaven giving the angels a run for their money. I know this because he told me many times he was ready when his time came and the preacher confirmed it on Friday. The preacher said my friend told him many times, he was a Christian and knew where he would be when time comes. There was no doubt but when the preacher confirms it, well I can't help but shed a few happy tears.
Lesson today? I think my friend would want me to tell you not to wait to tell your friends you love them. Don't wait until you're standing at the funeral service wishing you had done this or that. If you're lucky enough to have friends like we do at table 71 don't be afraid to let them know what they mean to you. There was a lot of hugging going on last weekend and by golly when the weekend was over I'm sure we made our friend proud because you see he never left us without hugging it out. His last words to me two weeks before we lost him was "Luv ya hun."
So for my friend one last time...
Go rest high on that mountain son, your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin' love for the father and the son.
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