Starting Over

The new session is underway in my APA pool league. It runs now through the end of the year.

The last session ended up disappointing for us. In 9 ball we were in 1st place with 3 weeks to go. Those last 3 weeks we lost all 3, and lost the session, in that we fell out of the playoffs. In 8 ball we ended up in 2nd place, missing 1st place by only 3 points. One 3-0 win away from winning it all. We played against the wild card team in the playoffs, and came up short, we lost. Not fun. So close.

But we press forward, and try again. We start over. I know, that if you keep on long enough, you will eventually get to experience the thrill of victory. And it will be so deep, and wide, and life-changing, that you will forget the losses and the long journey completed. They won’t even matter anymore. Because winning the championship will re-set your eyes, it will reshape your beliefs on how amazing the experience can be, but you have to keep playing, keep trying, keep learning.

You can feel it when you are on. The stroke is smooth and almost natural. You see the shot and it happens the way it is supposed to. You make the shot, you get the leave, and you do it again. It doesn’t get any better. Except when your teammates do it too and everyone is playing good at the same time. That is an experience. We love to see each other succeed. We all want something that is bigger than ourselves. I love to win myself. But I love us winning together as a team more. And I love to be around my teammates, that through our ups and downs week to week, have become friends. I choose good people to start with. I get to hang out with good people each week. But they are also gladiators. Their heart is full of fight. They play to win. They never give up.

Put it all together, a team of friends, giving it their best, securing a win, advancing from one playoff to another, and finally winning it all, well, all I can say is it is worth it. So much fun. It is like driving to the Grand Canyon. It takes forever to get there. But once you arrive, the experience is so awesome, it takes your breath away. If you have ever studied the word “amazing”, it is truly amazing (causing astonishment, great wonder). The destination is so great, all the hardship of the journey is forgotten.  It is worth it. I hope you get to experience it. And if you are with me I hope we get to experience it together. We will need some luck. A good roll here and there helps.

But life is all about starting over. We all know about it. We have been there, right? A divorce happens. You start over. You get let go from a job. You start over. You get sick or hurt. You have to start over sometimes. During all the times I have had to start over, I was reminded of the importance of life. You learn, or re-learn, a reverence for life. It will reshape you to fully live, love and matter. I have started over several times.  And it changed me, each time, to think deeper about how I show up in the world, how I treat others, and what it is I want to contribute to those in my world. It is scary. The doubt, the worry and the uncertainty is real. The hardship is real. Those full stop second chances in life end up being monumental breakthroughs in your life. In the end, it helps you. You will come out on the other end. There will be building blocks. When it is time to start over, be more intentional, courageous and appreciative. You don’t have to know the full path to take the first step. Take a small step. And then another. I know, I still remember re-learning to walk. It is hard. You are not going to enjoy starting over, but you can honor the struggle. But you have to start somewhere. You may not yet have confidence, but just go. Start. Take the first step. Believe in yourself and in your ability to figure things out. Believe in God. That is what carries me. I believe in Him and His love for me. It can get you through the darkest night. Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about starting over.

So if you are starting over in life, or just starting over with me in pool, let’s go. Let’s do this.

Man's Best Friend

Goodbye my friend. I know why they call you “a man’s best friend.”
You were all that characterizes God himself.

Warm hearted, tender and forgiving -  Playful, gentle and boldly protective.
With one lick in the face I could forget all the ugliness of the day.
You lived in the moment. You experienced each day with the maximum zest for life.
And yet you reminded me to keep it simple.
You had adorableness without airs & lion-heartedness without cruelty.
You seemed to understand what I did not say.
Your love was genuine, never fake.
Without any words you were able to express your unconditional love.  I wish I was more like you.

I love how you would run to greet me when I came home.
I love how you would get back up after falling and just shake it off and forget it.
I love how you would sniff out opportunities and make your own fun.
I love how you would protect me when I was sleeping, like I was important.

Our time together seemed so short. Now I know. Now I know  how much God loves me. He showed me through you. Thank you, Lord, for showing me your love for me. I feel loved. I am loved.

Hey Jude

This article is about the day Axel Jude Elliott was born, August 4, 2017.

It has been a long month leading up to this day.  What a month for everyone involved.  We will never forget July 2017.  I want a t-shirt. The weather has been HOT HOT HOT here in Dallas, TX.  It has been pretty spicy in the mom Audrey’s Medical City Hospital room 776, as she has been on bed rest since early July, July 5^th.   It is hard to lay there and do nothing for so long.  It sounds so easy, but the days are so long it becomes like torture. Audrey has been able to stay up-to-date on all her phone activities, I guess.  She has enjoyed her cravings, - donuts, Starbucks and Schlotzshy’s, - when she gets a special delivery.  But this day has been a long time coming and we hope she still has some hair left and it hasn’t all been pulled out.  It was not easy, to say the least.  The theme for the month was “Nope, Not Today.”  The baby needed to stay inside for as long as possible, so everyone kept encouraging the baby to stay put and continue growing and developing. “No, not yet,”   “No, not Today” was the day to day message. Mom was to rest, baby was to stay put.  Here is the shirt Michelle wore up to the hospital.

Dad has been busy preparing the house for the baby’s arrival.  Much was done in the way of cleaning and organizing and preparing the house for a brand-new baby boy.  And when I say much, I mean, a major overall.  It was a monumental task that Dad took on.  And delivered.  Good job ProZac.  

And then they got a new carriage (a lovely van) to transport the baby in (and the rest of the family, the boys), only to have a minor (or maybe major)  breakdown requiring attention to get it running again.  Baby has got to have a new ride, right?  Just another thing to deal with leading up to this big day. Just what they did not need.

Mimi planned a big shower, only to have it cancelled at the last minute, when Audrey was put in the hospital.  All that will be rescheduled.  

Then Jenna has surgery on her neck, on the 19th, and sends Levi to stay with us allowing her, Jenna, some time to heal and recover. Hers is life in a neck brace, one that looks something like this.

So, Mimi had her hands full too, this past month.  Mimi has a lot of daily health issues, most never see, and it has been trying at times to baby-sit a 4-year-old and cope with daily health issues.  Have you ever been in real pain and try to sleep?  This is her problem almost every night. She can’t sleep due to her pain she is feeling.  She spends most of the night trying to get the pain to subside, then by morning she is ready to sleep, but then there is a little boy needing her attention and she has to try to suffer through the day with no sleep. But her love for her grand-children saw her through.  I don't know how. I don't know.

  She has had very limited time to visit Audrey this past month. She so wanted to do more, but she just couldn’t. You will have to see the creative things Mimi kept sending Audrey to entertain her.

When Audrey first went into the hospital she was worried about missing work and money and bills.  So she had the Repo Man visit her, to let her know the Repo Man was not going to repo Axel.

There was Kichelle Karkashian.  

There was the  Dr. Mutha Fooker movie.

There was the drunk fairy god mother.

There was the big red nose.

Then she finally revealed the real reason she wasn't able to visit was that she was vacationing in Paradise. 

There was the hand puppet movie.

She made the baby hands movie.

And then finally there was the Pirate movie starring her and Levi.

But the preparation time came to an end, and the big day arrived.  He is here, “Hey Jude” Elliott. (my nickname, cause I like it) “Hey Jude” arrived into this world, gloriously beautiful, just as expected.  Audrey’s first baby, Zac's third, was born today, August 4th, 2017 at 08:06 a.m.

We thought for a while his birthday might me August 2^nd, making him a 3^rd generation family member born that day, but that also didn’t work out as hoped.  It seems to be a theme here of plans changing. It was put off till today, making August 4^th  the big day.  He shares his birthday with Actor Billy Bob Thornton (1955) and also the 44^th President of the United States, (1961) Pres.  Obama., baseball great Roger Clemens (1962) and NASCAR greats Jeff Gordon (1971) and Kurt Busch (1978).

 The headline news today revolved around the Dallas Cowboys preseason opener in the Hall of Fame Game (Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones inducted into the Hall of Fame this week), where they won over the St Louis Cardinals 20-18 last night . Even bigger than that was the fabulous Dream Team 8 ball win, last night, winning the playoffs in a 4 game decision, 8-3.

All that may be noteworthy, but the real news for this day is that Axel Jude Elliott arrived, 7 lbs, 13 oz’s, 21 inches of joy, and mom and baby are all well.  Congratulation Audrey and Zac.  Congratulation Eathen and Miccah.  Congratulations Mimi.  Congratulations to Grandparents on both sides. Congratulations to all family everywhere celebrating this day.  It is a big day.  I know a lot of people are happy today, but none of you are happier than me. And to top it all off, he is beautiful, a beautiful baby.  Not sure but he may get that from his RiRi.

What a month, but I am so proud Audrey, of you, and for you.  May Axel (“Hey Jude”) enjoy the love and pampering he has coming his way, but mostly, may he be taught and nurtured into a fine man. Blessings and prayers for Axel.

So let it out and let it in,

Hey Jude, begin

You’re waiting for someone to perform with

And don’t you know that it’s just you,

Hey, Jude, you’ll do

The movement you need is on your shoulder.

Nah, nah nah nah, Nah nah nah nah, Nah nah nah nah, Hey Jude

With Love, Ric  (aka RiRi)