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it was September 29th
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Kyle 14 years old and Connor four years
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old and I woke up and couldn't find
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their mother my wife we found her
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downstairs and she had passed away to
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say it was challenging would be a major
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understatement it was extremely
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difficult for me as well as Connor and
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Kyle we all struggled to make make sense
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of it and to try to move forward and
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sometimes I remind people it's just a
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day at a time sometimes it's even an
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hour a time or maybe 5 minutes at a time
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but you work your way through it time is
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the great healer but nobody wants to
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hear that when you're going through
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something that tough as time went on
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over the next couple of months both the
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boys really struggled mightily but I
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noticed Connor was actually about four
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and a half he struggled big time didn't
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want to go to school preschool didn't
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want to do his things and so forth
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didn't want to play much just moped
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around so one day these people called me
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from the people that had the preschool
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assessed and I said 'What do you mean
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assessed and they said 'Well we think
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he's way behind we need to help him out
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i said he's 4 and 1/2 years old they
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said yes but we need to do a battery of
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tests so I agreed to it trying to be the
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best parent I could be but I'm going to
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take the advice of these people from the
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school and we went in and did a battery
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of tests he was in there for three or
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four hours bouncing balls and doing
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things and drawing things on pictures
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and on paper and things like this all
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with the idea that I'm going to get some
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help for my son cuz apparently he's not
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doing very well at the end of the
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assessment Connor went out and sat in
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the car and I sat down with the lady and
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she says "I've got news for you." She
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said "He's not going to make it in
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life." I said "What are you talking
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about?" She goes "He's not going to make
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it in life he's going to have a very
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tough time." I said 'What do you mean
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he's going to be the quarterback of the
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high school down the road here she goes
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"He's not going to be a quarterback at
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any school anytime anywhere." I said
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'He's four and a half 5 years old he
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mother i remember sitting there and
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going back to the car getting in the car
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and starting to cry connor goes "Why are
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crying?" I couldn't tell him i just said
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"Oh daddy just got something in his eye
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it's no big deal." But I never forgot
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what that was and it motivated me to
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make sure that he had the best
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opportunity in life possible he went on
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to school eventually he had to skip or
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skip he had to take first grade twice he
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had different challenges along the way
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special education type things and extra
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programs for people that weren't doing
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as well but I never stopped believing
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that if we just stuck with it and I
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loved him more than anything and
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encouraged him that it would all work
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out he wanted to play baseball but he
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couldn't play baseball he had a really
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tough time couldn't bat couldn't hit
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couldn't co couldn't catch couldn't
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throw other than that he was pretty
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good but he had a really tough time he
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just he never even got to play and then
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eventually he got better and better and
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better over time because he never gave
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up he refused to give up on baseball and
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then eventually it was the bottom of the
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seventh inning of a game he hadn't even
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played and there were players on second
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and third and it was the bottom of the
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seventh and this his team was down seven
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to six he comes up to bat and I'm
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thinking gosh how about a bunt how about
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just getting hit by a pitch just
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something to get on base because there
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was guys at second and third two out and
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the other team was ahead seven to six
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full count he takes the next pitch rips
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it into left field the guy from third
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comes into home to score the guy from
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second rounds third heads for home the
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ball gets thrown in from the left
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fielder fielder the catcher catches it
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and the guy and and the guy was on
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second who's now at home they crash to
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the ground and the ball pops out and
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they win the game we they win the game 8
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to7 connor is standing out on second
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base and he yells to me in the stands
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"Dad I got a hit." It's the first hit he
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ever got but he went on to become the
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best baseball player at his high school
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the leading pitcher and the leading
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hitter because he never gave up but I'll
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never forget those words he's not going
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to make it in life i just want you to
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know don't ever let something like that
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discourage you always believe in
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yourself believe in the power of love
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and nurturing and caring and persistence
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and patience it's so so very important i
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talk about gratitude a lot gratitude is
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a big factor as well but you've got to
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be patient you've got to believe in
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yourself and believe in your children
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and you'll see what'll happen he's gone
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on to be a great have a great life and
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done extremely well graduated from
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college they even said he wasn't going
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to be that smart when he was young too
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graduated from San Diego State in San
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Diego so that's the message do not give
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up under any you I know you've heard
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that before but do not give up under any
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you'll be so glad you hung in
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there i'm that gratitude guy
