Tournament Season ----

Piedmont College - Conference Tournament - April 11-13, 2014 

Here is the run down

Leave after work Thursday.

Arrive in Augusta, Georgia around 7:30pm

Can you say traffic? 

Seems there was "Some Golf Thing" happening. 

FINALLY get through Augusta area - drive a total of 7 hours - arrive at hotel in Rocky Mount, NC

just after 1AM on Friday. 

(the players were tucked in nicely snoozing)

Unload - finally in bed around 2AM

Up at 5AM with the team. 

Mama (all the parents) is tired

First Game. 

Slide into second base. 

Jam thumb to add to an already extensive list of banged up body parts. 

Keep playing.

Lose first game by one run and hit the losers bracket. (damn) 

Play second game and move back toward championship game on Sunday.

Adrenal fatigue much --- my body doesn't handle "good" stress and better than the bad kind.

Spend afternoon in Emergency Room getting hand checked out.

Watch Softball Princess use sarcastic humor to handle the anxiety of the ER visit (got that from her mama)

Watch Softball Princess beg an ER doc for permission to at least run bases. 

Get that permission and back to hotel at which time Mama crashes at the all so early hour of 7PM.

Saturday Morning - Win CLOSE first game. 

Win CLOSE second game. 

More adrenal issues.

Take two more steps towards championship game. 

Sunday Morning - meet that first team again

Coach puts pinch runner on (Softball Princess) late in game

No pressure.

Slide

Slide 

Score. 

Turns out to be the only run and sends LaGrange home.

(and their rude players - the final strikeout being the one who was making fun of some of our players) 

Sorry - side trip down "mommy got a little bit of amusement" lane there. (Karma is a bitch)

Now we have fought back into the championship series. 

Win by one in first of two games against Huntington College. 

Their fans were great people. 

Their players too.

Second Game - for championship

We win by one run on an amazing series of events in the bottom of the last inning. 

LIFE WAS BEAUTIFUL

and 

AT THAT MOMENT IT WAS FUN TOO

now we advance towards Nationals. 

Mom - Abby - Dad

and ONE hard earned trophy. 

Yes we play banged up ----- ALL THE TIME ---- it seems

Winning is wonderful.

And I am a huge believer that sports are really good for kids. 

It is good for discipline - health - self-esteem - and lots of other things. 

But winning is not everything. 

Meet my new friend 

This is Nicholas. 

And Jessica.

And Kim (mom) who is one of the nicest and happiest people I have met through softball.

Nicholas was my sideline buddy for the whole tournament.

He counted for me.

And he cheered harder than any one of the rest of us. 

And he reached for my hand over and over.

And looked me in the eye repeatedly. 

And I learned some of  his language and was able to communicate with him a little.

And he taught me beautiful lessons.

See - I have health issues. 

So does he. 

But he has learned that he can focus on his cards (and counting) and cheering. 

These things - he does them to the best of his ability.

And he is happy.

Trust me - I saw the depth in his bright brown eyes. 

He can't say my name. 

But with his touch and his gaze - he called me friend. 

That my friends is that thing that is bigger than winning. 

LIFE IS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL

LOOK HARD FOR THE BLESSINGS.

THEY ARE ALL AROUND YOU.