I want to start a series of stories about the life I have lived. This story is just for my grandkids, and of course my kids.
Some people may find it boring. However, how many kids can say that they moved around six times, and over three thousand miles by the time they were five?
There’s a movie out that my whole family loves. It’s about a bunch of kids who love playing baseball in a beat up park area. Their menace, a huge dog who eats up all their baseballs when they hit home runs and land in the backyard of this beast.
Well, this was precisely my story, that’s how some of the kids and I in the neighborhood lived.

• We loved playing baseball and going to The Plunge, our favorite home away from home, where we could swim and horse around.
• It was an adventure getting to the park by the minibus that would take us about 3.5 miles, but to us, it was like trekking down uncharted territory. It wasfreedom away from any grown ups.
• Alas, that great baseball and swimming fun was only in the summer. Maybe that’s the reason why I most cherish those memories!

In the winter we’d play football or soccer. When I was done playing these right after school, I’d come home in time for dinner, most of the time. Then, I’d go outside to play basketball in the backboard and rim I built with my brothers help.

Kids, this was one of the greatest times of my life. Being a kid was just that fun.
Kids, I want your elementary years to be just as incredible as mine were. Don’t worry about grown-up stuff. Worry about what sport you want to play today or which baseball bat you’ll use to hit a home run like Babe Ruth or Mike Gibson in the famous winning run against the A’s!

Worry about playing soccer like Pele or Cruyff or Keegan; I mean Messi or Ronaldo or now Virgil van Dijk or Mbappé or Hazard.
Play like there’s no tomorrow. Eat well, sleep well, enjoy school. Learn and absorb as much as you can but always go outside and dream big. Dream that you are a star player in some far away team. Dream that the whole world is watching you hit the winning run or score the winning goal in the last minutes of the game! Play basketball until the last winding ray of sunset light dwindles into the horizon, while you are sinking in the winning basket as the clock hits zero!

Kids, don’t worry about the grown-up stuff you’ll see or hear from your parents. Let them worry about paying this bill or that credit card. You just worry about saying your prayers in the morning, thanking God for everything He’s providing for you, asking Him to help you not get so angry at your little sister for being so obnoxious. And make sure you thank God for your parents and brothers and sisters. Then go to school and learn about everything you can. Enjoy that time. Learn the sounds, words, and sentences. Learn that 2+2 does indeed equal to 4! Ask as many questions as possible. Never stop learning stuff.
The most important thing I would tell you, always love and forgive people. It is darn hard to do. But Jesus tells us to forgive(Matthew 18:21-22)people a ton of times. This means, forgive people always.
Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll give you detailed stories real soon. Love you kids…