Diamonds 💎 are a Girls Best Friend : Inspiring… Living Before the End : On a quiet morning in an Airbnb in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I sat on the deck with a cup of coffee, scrolling through Facebook. That’s when I came across a piece by Kelsey Abernathy McLean, a Pennsylvania writer who explores transformation, survival, and the extraordinary moments hidden inside ordinary life.Something about her words stayed with me. As I looked out over the stillness of that morning, I thought: Maybe I should tell my story too.I had never thought much about life after death. I had heard the ideas—through religion, through stories, through near-death experiences—but they always felt distant. Abstract.That changed in the summer of 2006.It began as an ordinary day. We were a week into summer break, and like every year since 1992, I was helping run a boys’ basketball camp. That day, the scheduled speaker didn’t show, and I was asked to step in.I told the story of Gene Banks—a freshman at Duke who had been threatened before a big game. Despite the fear, he chose to play anyway and went on to have one of the best games of his career.Afterward, he said, “If it was going to be my last one, it was going to be great.”I left the group with a simple message: Live each day like it’s the last one you get.I had no idea how literal that message was about to become.Later that afternoon, I was home alone, vacuuming the pool in the heat. A bee struggled in the water near the edge. I reached down, lifted it out, and set it on the concrete.It stung my pinky.I barely reacted; I just kept working. But a few minutes later, I felt a tingling in my lips, then numbness. My face began to swell. Inside the pool house, I looked in the mirror. My eyes drooped, my lips and tongue were swelling, and my face looked distorted—unfamiliar.Something is very wrong.I called my wife and told her I would drive myself to the hospital. She told me not to move and called an ambulance. By the time she and the kids pulled into the driveway, it had gotten worse. I tried to act calm, but the moment they saw my face, their expressions shifted to terror.That’s when it hit me: This might be serious.My breathing tightened. Each inhale was shorter than the last. My throat was thick, closing. And then—unexpectedly—the fear eased.Nothing had improved physically. My body was still reacting, but internally, something shifted. The urgency softened. The panic loosened its grip, and in its place came a stillness I hadn’t chosen. Time felt different.I lowered myself to the ground, staring up at the sky, fighting for air—but no longer fighting the moment. I was still aware of everything around me, but I no longer felt fully inside it.And then I knew: I was dying.I asked to speak to my kids, just long enough to tell them I loved them, that I would always love them and be proud of them. I told them to take care of their mom and each other. Then I asked for them to be taken away. I couldn’t let them watch.My body continued to struggle, but I wasn’t afraid the way I had been. The fear didn’t disappear entirely, but it no longer controlled me. In its place was something steady—a calm that felt given.There was no voice. No figure. And yet, I knew I wasn’t alone.The world began to narrow. Darkness closed in from the edges, like an old television signing off. Everything went black, and then—light.It started faint, then expanded—like clouds parting to reveal the sun. But this light was different: brilliant, yet soft; impossible to look away from. It didn’t blind me; it held me and drew me in. As it did, every trace of fear disappeared.Then came a sound, faint and distant, pulling me back. The light remained, but something else pressed in—a steady pull in the opposite direction.Then came weight. My chest tightened, my throat burned, and the stillness gave way to something dense and physical: air—hard, uneven, insufficient. Voices broke through.“Stay with us.”“Breathe.”“You’re okay.”I tried to inhale. It caught halfway, then another—shallow, but real. I was back, not all at once, but in fragments of pressure, hands, heat, and noise. Beneath it all was a single realization: I’m still here.Then, the moment fractured again.The paramedics didn’t just work; they fought.The ambulance was a blur of harsh fluorescent light, cold steel, and loud, rhythmic panic. The siren wailed above us—a piercing, mechanical scream cutting through the streets, reflecting off the metal walls in disorienting echoes. Inside, everything moved in hyper-drive.The sharp smell of rubbing alcohol and sterile plastic hit first. Radio chatter crackled violently over the speakers—rapid-fire jargon, heart rates, blood pressure numbers, dispatch yelling instructions back and forth. Equipment beeped incessantly, a frantic, high-pitched telemetry track measuring a body that was shutting down.”Breathe!””We’re losing his pressure! Push another round!”Faces hovered over me—eyes wide above blue masks, slick with sweat. They were shouting over the engine roar and the siren, their hands moving with terrifying, practiced speed. Syringes torn from plastic wrappers. Tubes snapped into place. Hands slammed onto my chest in hard, rhythmic compressions, trying to force life back into a heart that was letting go.And yet, suddenly, I was sitting on a bench inside the ambulance, watching.Below me, my body lay on the stretcher. Looking down from that bench, none of the hysteria reached me.I saw the bright red and blue lights flashing against the side windows, painting the paramedics’ faces in alternating shades of alarm. I heard the tires squealing as the rig whipped around corners, throwing equipment against the cabinet doors. I felt the violence of the moment. But I didn’t feel the fear.To them, it was a battle against time—a chaotic, desperate attempt to pull a man back from the edge. But from where I sat, watching the blue lights strobe across the ceiling, the noise faded into a quiet background hum. The frantic hands, the shouting, the piercing sirens—it all belonged to a world I was gently slipping out of. I watched them push my body into the hospital, watched the controlled chaos, and watched them fight for me.And I felt peace. Not because I believed I would return, but because I believed I wouldn’t. There was no resistance, no struggle—only acceptance.And then, like a dream ending, it was gone.I woke up in the hospital. Alive. Breathing. Still here.People ask what I think it was. A physical response? A neurological event? Something spiritual?The truth is, I don’t know. But I know this: I felt myself let go of life, and I was at peace. I felt something meet me there, and I was not alone. Somehow, I came back carrying that with me.I used to believe life was something you hold onto, something you fight to keep. Now I see it differently. Because in the moment I thought I lost it, I didn’t feel fear. I felt at peace. And whatever was waiting for me in that light didn’t feel like the end.It felt like home.And maybe that’s what I was meant to understand all along: not just how to face the end, but how to live before it.Like Gene Banks said: If this one were your last—make it a great one.

Why do you write ✍️ a story or a book ? It’s a great question, and my answer will differ from most because I have never attempted to sell any of my books along the way.

I see my role in life for the remainder of the time here as being a distributor of Hope ! I am not nor ever have been trying to sell someone, but trying hard to work off a debt to God. For reasons beyond my own understanding, I have found myself repeatedly in the right place at the right time and combined with my willingness to accept help, I type out the words to what I like to call book 6 of 7.

The people involved with these stories are all about doing for others, the Greater Good if you will. As Chris Dodson states very elegantly in his take, the folks we are highlighting are not seekers of glory, but people are just doing things that are in their wheelhouse.

Not everyone has the same comfort zone, not by a long shot. But one doesn’t need thousands of people who want to chase the same dream because you can move mountains with a select few.

Lawrence ” Big Picture ” Nesselrodt likes to live live by the thought of ” Leave it Better than you found it “. For me, it’s always been Duke, UVA, and wherever I stay, meaning that you should look for every way possible to give back to your community !

At this point, I turn my efforts over to three very trusted individuals who will proceed to create Book Six – Diamonds 💎 are a Girls Best Friend !

John, Nancy, and Emma – you are now on the clock ⏰️

Thank you to everyone who helped me get as many of the facts straight as possible because it needed to be told. People need to believe that they can make a difference in the Big Picture !

Today shall be Regional volleyball 🏐 Day, yeah, let’s go with that one ! Four matches across two states, and it starts now….

Greenville, NC – East Carolina, College of Charleston, Barton College, and Duke University are each hosting VB matches today. We have a rooting interest in all four , and since we change the banner tomorrow, let’s make it all about Cindy Edwards and VB…

We always have time for our National Anthem !

ESPN+ is on the scene, and that might explain the odd noon start time. We care about this one because we are on the campus of ECU.

Monday night, Carroll County High School will travel over to the Falcons Nest 🪹🪺 in Abingdon for a Regional QF match against the defending Class 3 State Champs. But before we start to fret over our season, possibly coming to an end, how’s about we take a moment to celebrate the playing of the match.

The match is underway here…

Regional tournament berths are far from guaranteed, so the fact that we won 19 matches and landed the #7 seed is quite the accomplishment !

Temple 🛕 is not flinching, leading 8-4 early.

When you factor in that many of our Three Rivers District foes are Class 2 or smaller schools, Carroll County doesn’t have a large number of opportunities for scoring bonus points in the VHSL system. This is why we land in the #7 spot behind teams with lesser records.

Much more 2 follow as the day plays out!

ECU calls 📞 2nd TO, down 23 – 11. They enter the day just 1/2 game out of the top spot in the American…..

Owls 🦉 take the opener, 25 – 14. ECU fought off 3 set points, but the hole 🕳 was toooooooo deep. [12:25]

SET #2 :

This just in, Temple has game ! They lead in this one, 15 -13….

TO, tied at 17…

CCHS finished up at 9-3 in the TRD and avoided being swept by any of the six opponents ! 5-1 at home, 4-2 on the road.

Patrick County, Floyd County, and Martinsville were each swept along the way.

Both of the in-season tournaments were highly successful and ended with placements after five matches.

ECU calls 📞 a TO, down 22-20. One thing about D1 VB, everyone on the court can flat out play.

TO Temple, 22 – 22….great back and forth set

ECU lands four straight but Owls respond with 3 of their own, lead 25 – 24. Owls 🦉 finish their four score and win 26-24

[1:03 ]

SET #3 :

Officials TO, Owls leading 15 – 12…

TO, ECU – down 21 – 19… rally or go back to the dorms. Go Pirates ☠️

TO Owls 🦉, after Pirates knot 🪢it at 23.

It will go in the books 📚 as a sweep, but the Owls needed extras in two of the three sets.

Next Stop ✋️, Charleston, Wilson or Durham ???

Ferrum College at Barton College at 6pm…

#22 – 5’2 from The Hill, it’s our Half Pint Harris !

13 of the 16 current members of Conference Carolinas

A. We lived in Charleston

Nice Gymnasium here in Wilson, North Carolina, and we are now within the hour of first serve between the Bulldogs and the Panthers. Harris is the latest player to graduate 🎓 from Coach Edwards program and move on to play at the next level.

Barton College has seven Seniors who are being celebrated right now.

Phone at 25%, so we have a challenge….

1st TO, Ferrum, down 18 – 12

2nd TO, Ferrum, down 21 – 14

Barton TO after Ferrum goes 3-0, now 22-17.

Barton TO, lead now just 23 – 22 (8-1)

Barton, 25 – 22 [6:41]

**** Boston College 25, Duke 18

____________________________________

SET #2 :

Barton TO, down 6-2

Ferrum TO, lead down to 14 – 11

TO, Ferrum up 18 – 15

Ferrum evens it up, 25 – 22!! [7:10 pm]

Duke up 14 – 7, 20-19, 25 – 21

William and Mary evens it up with C of C

All 3 night matches are 1-1

_____________________________________

SET #3 :

CCHS football leads 8-0 early over in Martinsville !

Ferrum up, 10-9…

Barton TO, Ferrum 17 -16

W & M, 23 – 20

Barton TO, Ferrum leads 20 – 18 !

Ferrum 24 – 19,

W & M wins 25 -23

Duke tied at 13 – 13, up 21 – 14, wins 25 – 18!!! [8:02]

___________________________

SETS #4 :

TO Barton, Ferrum 6-2 early

🏈🏈🏈 Cavs 24, Dawgs 6 (2Q), was 16-0.

30 – 18 at the half….

TO Ferrum, Barton leads 9 – 8

The four reasons why we care about William and Mary at C of C….

B. Pappy Meade graduated 🎓 W & M

C. Our son Chris attended C of C

D. It’s Jimmy Buffett Night in the Arena…

TO Barton, Ferrum leads 16 – 13

Ferrum 21 – 15

TO Ferrum, lead down to 22 – 19

23 – 19, 23 – 20, 24 – 20, 25 – 20 !!!!!!

8:08 pm….

The Battling Pappy Meades pull off the upset over 18 – 2 C of C

Duke leads 9-7 as they look to close out the Eagles [8:15 ]

Duke 14 – 10 as it’s time to head out. I will check back for the two missing final scores…

Duke followed the Ferrum lead, drop one and then win 🏆 out ! [8:40]

Coach Knight was up at JMU tonight, and he watched 👀 a good one !

36 – 18 Cavs, late 3rd

Next Stop ✋️ is Durham, NC – 77 minutes away.

Diamonds 💎 are a Girls Best Friend : Sometimes you need to be at the end to truly find the beginning !

There was still one missing link to the story about ball games and the town of Shenandoah, and thankfully, it was Chris Dodson that allowed the story to have an origin point !

We have always known the family names, Comer, Viafora, Dodson, Knight, Cardin, Gordon, and Hendrick to list a few. The burning question has been what enabled the ball to get rolling in the manner that it still rolls today ?

Chris Dodson is the son of Archie Dodson, who, along with Roy Cardin, got together back in the 1970s to form the Shenandoah Rec League. The organization is celebrating a half-century of history, and that effort led to so much of the modern-day success in and around Page County, Virginia.

Dodson is currently working on a book about the story as well, and with his ability to multi-task, I’m sure that it will be a terrific read !

Parents come and go in programs, whether you are talking about youth or high school. The difference between the ” Magic on the Mountain” is that so many members of the group stayed well past the playing careers of their children.

Ralph Viafora continued coaching alongside Alan Knight well past the graduation of the youngest of their three daughters. Viafora and his family sit atop any list of people that left their mark on PCHS.

Megan Gordon worked harder to promote the efforts long after the second of her Division One daughters left for James Madison University and Penn State University. Even today, Mrs Gordon is still accepting new challenges for the youth of today.

Dennis Zimmerman, also known as Preacher, is still very active with the program, years after the graduation of his kiddo. Arthur Campbell slowed down from his break neck schedule to spearhead our efforts with the OneofUs.Care Pavillion next to the diamond.

Brian Hendrick has been a fixture for decades, and while he still goes by ” Big Daddy,” it’s now because of the size of his heart. Again, still a part of the show long after his little one graduated.

Wayne Comer played for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series versus Bob Gibson and the St Louis Cardinals and then came home to coach baseball.

Dodson moved his talents about 10 miles up US-33, where he made a name for himself by winning seven State titles at Spotswood High School. The exact same number that his former teacher, Knight, has won at PCHS.

The history of the Gordon family is like the one of the Cardins in that it is now third generation. Dodson talks about how cool it was to finish up a season undefeated while playing for Coach Gordon back in the day. He thought it was a big deal but then noticed that it was not uncommon for that to take place back in the day.

Roy Cardin had a vision back in the 1970s, and from there, it just became a family thing !

The downside to living a life that leads to residing in 18 different states is that you are never going to be from somewhere. But I knew that I might only have one shot at having my parents’ name hanging somewhere for the forcible future, the back fence at Page County High School Softball complex seemed like the right spot !

The timing of the phone call from Dodson was storybook in that I was standing at the very end of the road after riding the ferry. I don’t know Chris Dodson if not for Travis Knight, and I don’t know Travis if he’s not riding past the high school at the exact time we snapped a wire and needed a repair.

God is about timing, and while I have only experienced the back half of the 50 years of magic, I feel blessed to be a passenger on the train. A train that started by one man with a vision, a few top-shelf friends, and as they say, the rest is history !

Halloween 🎃 and Tobacco Road = football 🏈🏈🏈🏈 in 2026 ! All four ACC schools 🏫 are set to host tomorrow…

It’s either a full moon or the making of a Dr Pepper Fansville commercial, but the small stretch of I-40 will be lit up tomorrow on our national Trick or Treat Day !

When you add in that Wake Forest is the only one of the Fab Four with a little number next to it (#14) , you know that it will be an interesting day.

#1 Miami, being the guest in Keenan Stadium, will certainly make the night cap something special.

Somewhere near 150,000 fans will make their way into a stadium tomorrow…

Welcome 🙏 to the weekend, and we get things started with our Morning 🌄 Brew !

Travis Osborne and his Bible Verse of the Day :

Psalm 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Howard Mayo and his Motovational Nugget for the Day :

Half Pint and her Lady Panthers volleyball 🏐 team are down to just three matches left to play in the regular season

Carroll County High School will travel over to the Dawg Pound in Martinsville tonight as the Cavaliers (8-0) continue to strive for perfection…

Have a Blessed Day 🙌😇🙏