Baseball Fun Day

Today was the Little League fun day. A day of games, baseball pictures, bouncy activities, food, BBQ plates, and just plain fun. I have been the father of a Little League player for the past 5 years and this is the first time that I have taken a Saturday off to be a part of it. I have always been to busy running the rat race to take the time to be there for Nicole and the boys. Last year, Nicole took all 3 boys, Seth, Riley, and Grey to the fun day all by herself. She did wonderfully, as she always does, but it was hard. Grey was still very young and hadn't started displaying any symptoms. So she was all by herself with 2 ball players needing pictures and a 2 1/2 month old baby.

Nicole started a couple of weeks before Fun Day, dropping little hints that she might want for me to be there for it. "Oh, Fun Day is coming up."; "I don't know how I will be able to go to Fun Day this year, Grey was with us last time." ; "Your sister is having a birthday party for your nieces and nephew that day." Knowing full well that I had promised that I would not miss anymore of my Niece's and Nephew's birthday, so that was her ace in the hole.

For the first time, I decided that I would definitely not miss anymore of the important things, like Fun Days or birthdays, anything. I made myself that promise just after Grey's death, when I realized late one night that I had missed so much with Grey while I was away at work.

So I was there for the whole Fun Day celebration. It was really nice. The kids, Seth and Riley had a blast! They ran and jumped, played the games, etc. It was a happy, bitter-sweet, beautiful day. It was a whirl of pictures, lines, snacks and parents not seen for awhile. After it was all over, we were all worn out, tired, hot and sun burned.

A quick drive home and change of cloths and off to the birthday party for the cousins. More fun, games, jumping, food. I don't know how the boys were still on their feet. Not only that, but they were begging to go back to the cousins house and keep playing. More fun, games and craziness.

Finally, it is after 11 pm and we are back at the house. The boys are dead on their feet. 3 to 5 min later, they are out and snoring. A very successful day if I say son myself. And I am well on my way to beginning a new chapter in my life of grasping the moment for everything second of my life for every precious moment.

I'm doing it in honor of Grey and as a symbol of what I have learned, life is precious and to be lived for, not wasted by missing it by working all of the moments away.