Every morning 🌄, when I wake ⏰️ up, the first thing I ask myself is, what are my choices today ?

  Door 🚪#1 today was head over to Durham, where Duke University Softball needed to beat the University of Arizona, not once but twice to earn a trip to the Super Regional next week in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Door 🚪 # 2 – Dennis  ” Preacherman ” Zimmerman was going to be in the pulpit this morning at his church ⛪️ up in Shenandoah, Virginia. The service was set for 9:30 am, and being that Dennis is the backup Pastor, there was no telling when the next sermon would take place.

Up and back in the same day would be quite the long day, and staying overnight wouldn’t work because our Junior Varsity Softball team are set to play their final stand-alone game at Cavalier Park on Monday evening.

Door 🚪 # 3 – stay home in Laurel Fork, attend the Church ⛪️ service of Pastor Stephen Puckett, then change clothes and drive 🚗 over to Hillsville Elementary School in support of Coach Vickey Ritchie and our Special Olympics Basketball program..

When one is having a conversation with another about what guides the decision-making process, if the second person is one of Faith, there’s no need to mence words. Otherwise, you can swap Faith for Karma.

Stephen Puckett and I have a rather unique relationship, to say the least, due to the fact that we deal with the same people but from different angles. His Church ⛪️ sits on the corner of US-58 and Stone Mountain Road out here in uptown Laurel Fork. If I am in town on a Sunday morning, you can find me in his sanctuary listening to his message.

  The other half of the Carroll County Sunday 1-2 punch 👊 is Vickey Ritchie. Anyone who reads my work on even a semi – regular basis knows that I have a soft spot for the efforts of our local Angel 😇 on Earth 🌎. Anything that I can do to make her life easier is worth doing, blindly !

Spend an hour with your Pastor, then two ➕️ hours with an Angel 😇 and how could you go wrong ?

There was never a doubt about the fact that our friend Dennis would be able to deliver the Lord’s message once again. The answered prayer came in the young ladies’ standing next to Dennis and Big Daddy are members of the Page County Lady Panthers Softball program !

One down, one to go ! Duke was losing to Arizona in game one, but we were busy having too much fun at basketball practice to worry about that much.

Duke found away to rally back against the Wildcats and force a winner to take all Regional finale !

During the drive back to Laurel Fork, I was listening to the game on ESPN+. Then there is the right turn at the Church and finally back at our place.

Duke held off Arizona to once again win their Regional tournament.

To recap , three softball teams were involved, and each had themselves a good day !

Carroll County High School JV Softball will have themselves a day on Monday.

Page County High School Softball team made their way to Church ⛪️ in support of one of their own.

Duke University Softball team is now going to pack up and fly out to Arkansas in hopes of getting another trip out to Oklahoma City for the College World Series.

Stephen Puckett is a good friend and a pastor, while Vickey Ritchie is an Angel 😇. Call it Karma or call it Faith, but results are hard to argue with !

P.S – bonus to cross paths with Principal Amy Nester at the practice. Just another hard working Administrator here on The Hill. The Shark 🦈 was just the latest prop  in the endless toolbox 🧰…

Fayetteville next weekend sounds fun until other options present themselves.