Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Cavalier Park is where the day will end for me as Terry Warf and Alec Horton will lead the Lady Cavaliers JV Softball team against Glenvar.
Have a Blessed Day 🙌
Graduation is set for this coming Saturday, and we will be saying goodbye to another group of kiddos who have been educated under the watchful eyes of Principal Chuck Thompson. Now, Mr Thompson relies on a tremendous number of people each and every day to accomplish this feat, a giant Thank you to every member of our dedicated staff.
Some of our next batch of graduates 🎓 are set to move on to the next level of education, and others are set to join the workforce. The next group is still trying hard to decide what is going to be next in their lives.
The amount of emotions involved for our students is trumped by what the parents are experiencing, probably more for the Moms than the Dads as their world 🌎 is about to change forever. Having raised five kiddos myself a long, long time ⌛️ ago, I am confident in saying that this is a life changing week.
The week should be a week long celebration for the students and for the Moms. I’m not crying, you’re crying will be heard repeatedly this week as the moment gets closer and closer.
We can call this week : Senior Mom Week and for the Junior Moms, the message should be, enjoy the next year because it will be over before you know it.
The end of the week will be life changing for many and on different levels. No two families are the same, and we can show a few different examples.
Mom #1 – Vickie Easter has been experiencing this week a few times before. The difference between this one and her girls is twofold. It’s her baby boy who will be wearing the cap and gown. Thankfully, she has grandchildren now that she can love on !
Mom #2 – Shelia Harris is experiencing her second graduation in two weeks as Natalie finished up college, and now her baby girl is ready to leave the nest. No grand babies yet, so she will have to spend more time with Marion. That sentence can be read one of two ways !
Mom #3 – Kristy Jones is about to send her young man off to Lynchburg, and in this case, Maci will go to receiving Love for 2. The hugs 🫂 will get tighter at first, and eventually, Maci will say, “Mom, I can’t breathe because you are holding too tight.”
Moms #4 and #5 – Denise Webb and Debbie Odum. These two young ladies are going to need a new hobby to help fill the void that will be created by the lost time they have been blessed to spend with their daughters. Two terrific children raised by two neat ladies.
Mom #6 – Joi Ogle has not only raised Wyatt since his birth but has also spent more than a few years coaching her son in the swimming pool. There Bond is obviously a great one as it has led to him going up to Roanoke to swim 🏊♂️ at the next level. Fortunately, the Star 🌟 City is a short drive away, and the Ogles have younger children.
Mom (and Dad)#7 – Mr. & Mrs DeHaven are rookies at this week as Camden is set to graduate. Kevin has the type of job that has him interacting with a large number of students each year, but this class includes the couple’s firstborn.
If you see 👀 someone on The Hill who has a glazed look in their eyes this week, just know that they will all eventually be back to normal life, it might just take a while. Let’s try and make the transition as smooth as possible for them.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Later today, Vickey Ritchie and friends will gather at Hillsville Elementary School for Special Olympics Basketball 🏀 practice. The final stop ✋️ of a whirlwind weekend for the group. It’s 8 am. now, and Vickey has no idea of who all will walk through the gym door later on until it happens. Yet, everyone will feel welcomed, and she will adjust on the fly as needed because that’s what leaders do.
Have a Blessed Day 🙌
The story has to start in the press box 📦 at Cavalier Park as Head Coach Rick Nester was one run away from run ruling the Radford Bobcats. Carroll County was leading 11-2, and we were having some fun with guest announcers for the Lady Cavaliers. Standing next to me was little Eden Nester, granddaughter to Coach Nester.
Eden reappeared just seconds after her aunt, Raylee Goins, had stepped into the batters box with the game winning run standing on third base in the form of Brooke Webb. Webb had almost ended the game a few minutes earlier, but her rocket 🚀 hit off the fence instead of clearing it.
Goins pushed our Foul Ball contest from 12 to 16 in an at bat that felt it lasted for five minutes. Eden was being patient and was going to announce Bayleigh Allen. There were two outs, and if Aunt Raylee didn’t deliver, we would be heading to the sixth inning.
About this time, I noticed little Gracie Richardson bouncing around in the stands. This triggered a look further up the bleachers, and I noticed Mr Paul Nester. I asked Eden if she wanted to acknowledge her great uncle Paul, as the Lieutenant – Governor of Laurel Fork. We couldn’t say the Mayor of Laurel Fork because that might not have been as obvious in regard to a fun joke.
Eden passed on that one but did say that she liked her great uncle. Goins finally delivered a hard hit ball to end the 12-2 victory, I delivered my normal end of the game well wishes to everyone while I was packing up my gear ⚙️.
Down the stairs, stopping long enough to speak to Donna Nester, letting her know where my next stop ✋️ was. Donna had watched her Son in the opening game of the doubleheader ( 11-1 victory ) before heading across the Boulevard to support her husbands team.
The walk across the parking lot, driving 🚗 over to Bill Worrell Field, parking in a safe place, and then heading towards the field. When I knew that something Biblical was happening is when the first person I walked by was our OneofUs.Care card carrying Pastor, Stephen Puckett. I can not recall another single time when our paths crossed at a sporting event.
The smooth sound of Marc Motley announced the next Martinsville Bulldogs batter, causing me to look up and acknowledge his efforts. Not missing a step, I continued walking towards the Carroll County dugout.
The very first pitch I saw 👀 was the last pitch of the night. Roughly 15 seconds later, we were set to take the team photo.
It’s worth noting 📝 that 2/3 of the Junior Varsity Cavaliers coaching staff are related to Paul !
On the way back to the car, I sent the photo on to Ryan at The Carroll News in case he could find space for it later. Today, I have shared with folks through text messages, some to numbers that I don’t have saved.
We are so very proud of the Nester Nine Baseball team and everything that they have accomplished !
God wanted me to capture the moment as it happened and under Photo Credit it should read : Raylee Goins. If Goins doesn’t end the game exactly when she did…… oh yeah, there’s yet another tie to the Family Tree 🌳
I encourage you to check out his latest effort, either in print or on-line, at The Carroll News 📰
