07/17/2026
Some days, you've just got to step away from the rat race...
Yesterday was one of those days.
I traded meetings, emails, deadlines, and the noise of everyday life for lunch on the porch with my beautiful granddaughter, Vivian...and yes, an ice cream sandwich.
I'd make that trade every single time.
Yesterday I gave her a baseball with a simple message written on it:
"Vivian, I am so proud of you."
She just finished her very first season playing baseball.
At just six years old, she was the only girl on a team of seven and eight year old boys. You never would have known it. She played her rookie season like she was an All-Star Hall of Famer.
💪🏽She wanted to learn.
💪🏽She played every position her coach asked her to play.
💪🏽She listened.
💪🏽She asked questions.
💪🏽She was incredibly coachable.
As her Papa, it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever watched. ❤️
While we were sitting on the porch yesterday, I asked her,
"Vivian, what was the hardest part about your first baseball season?"
She smiled...
She looked down for a second, grinned, and quietly said...
"All the people cheering for me."
It caught me off guard.
She loved having everyone there, but with all of our family and friends cheering her name, it embarrassed her a little.
That's just who she is...sweet, humble, and full of heart.
Then I realized something...
The very thing that made her a little uncomfortable was also one of the things that helped make her brave.
Isn't that true for all of us?
We all need people who believe in us before we completely believe in ourselves.
We all need someone in the stands cheering us on, reminding us to keep swinging, keep learning, keep growing, and to never give up.
Yesterday wasn't really about baseball...
❤️ It was about courage.
❤️ It was about humility.
❤️ It was about being teachable.
❤️ It was about family.
And maybe, for me, it was God's gentle reminder that every once in a while we need to step away from the things we think are so important and immerse ourselves in the things that actually are.
🙏🏼For a few hours yesterday, the world slowed down.
🙏🏼There were no deadlines.
🙏🏼No pressure.
🙏🏼Just a porch, an ice cream sandwich, a signed baseball, and a little girl who has completely tattooed her Papa's heart.
My heart and soul needed yesterday more than I even realized.
Sometimes the richest days of our lives don't cost a dime. They simply require us to be fully present.
Vivian, I hope you always remember this...
▪️You don't have to be the biggest.
▪️You don't have to be the fastest.
▪️You don't have to prove anything to anyone.
▪️Just keep showing up with that beautiful smile, your willing heart, and that humble spirit that makes everyone around you better.
Papa will always be in the stands.
Cheering your name!!
I love you more than you'll ever know, Vivian!
Love, Papa ❤️⚾🙏
P.S. One day, that little signed baseball may end up in a box somewhere. But I hope you'll always remember what it represented...not a great baseball season, but a Papa who couldn't have been any prouder of the little girl holding it.