CHAMPS! Down by 2 in the 5th...Rattlers Rally and Win 6-5!

Unity



Friendship

Determination

Pride



CHAMPS!





Team



Junie Bream

How do describe a man that lived over 105 years? Remarkable seems to fit just fine. This picture represents him well. I remember many a Thanksgiving at the farm. Now, I had raked leaves before, but I had NEVER experience this kind of labor. I recall the first time I took part in this process. Junie would have his clip board ready with his list as he waited for the worker bees to gather. All knew their jobs and responsibilities. The tarps were pulled and spread out so that the leaves could be raked and then taken to the burn pit. There were so many leaves! All were delirious at days end but greeted with a wonderful meal of true Thanksgiving.

Some of my favorite memories:
At the age of 90 this remarkable man had brain surgery. We were all amazed when soon after surgery... he waved to us...giving us the A OK thumbs up. Astonishing.

Not being able to drive after the surgery was heart breaking for him. He struggle with it tremendously and hated the thought of relying on others to take him where he needed to go. He still had the T-Bird and one day family members were in the garage trying to start it up just to let it run a bit. No one could get it going. Junie came out, sat in that car, and started it on the first go round. His smile was priceless...he still had it.

At mass when Silent Night was sung, a deep cry emerged from his soul. It was so real and raw and something that I will never forget.

I had a dream when the boys were 4..before Darren could talk. A very vivid dream in which Darren was standing in front of the family and he was speaking clearly. I was on my knees sobbing and Darren was comforting me and telling me not to cry. Junie looked at me and said "See, I told you he would talk...it's going to be ok". I believed him...and so it is.

Lastly, at times watching Trevor play sports...I wonder "where did he learn that?" I will forever remind myself, and him, that he's got a lot of Junie in him.

Mark has many other wonderful memories of his grandfather...and at the service many shared touching stories...they all share one common thread: He was truly a remarkable man. God bless Junie.

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Memorial Day Weekend

These boys LOVE the ocean. Even though the water was still quite cold in Bethany, it didn't stop them from getting in and catchin' some waves.

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Challenger Baseball-Game # 2

Ready position

Waiting patiently to hit

Hit away!

RUN

In the Field

#3 Nakoma Sours

Celebrating Nakoma

Gathering in remembrance

Emotional moment

Softball reunion

Back where it belongs



Mr. Big Stuff



A proud tribute to a soul lost too soon

Darren: Flirting with the softball players

Nakoma's Family

Challenger Baseball Pictures

A Good Week

What a week! After Spring Break we jumped back into our routine. Trevor had lots of baseball this week. It took the team a tough loss to get refocused and back on track. The Rattlers had a strong win yesterday defeating their opponent 10-1! Our bats finally came alive and the pitching was solid. Trevor started off the week with a superb pitching performance and received a game ball for his efforts. Later in the week he was placed in a high pressure situation with the game tied 3-3. Trevor took the mound and tried his best. A run did score and the Rattlers were not able to answer with a run of their own. This was a great experience for Trevor, I feel that the next time he is in that situation, he will conquer it.
Trevor has really been hitting the ball well this week! Wow, what a difference! He is confident and his timing is on. Trevor is batting second in the order and producing with great consistency.
Darren played in his first Challenger Baseball Game on Saturday. This is a league for children with special needs. They provide wonderful volunteers from some of the older teams to buddy up with the kids. Darren, with his baseball pants and under armour shirt, stood in shock when on the field. It was overwhelming, but cool. Darren's buddy was very patient and kind and encouraged him with high fives. As with every first time experience, Darren tried to fight the process. He told his buddy to shhhh, slapped at him, and spit at him....but when he realized he had done wrong and that he wasn't getting out of it...the tears surfaced and he apologized. This is always a good sign. It seems to be a sign of surrender:) Darren really did a great job considering all the newness of the situation. He got to hit twice, making contact both times and ran the bases well. We look forward to the next game!
Lastly, Darren had some testing done at school and we were very pleased with the results. Now, it didn't show that he was Einstein, but it didn't say that he wasn't either:) It proved to me once again that Darren has great potential. It showed me how much Autism is blocking his true abilities. It showed me how much he has progressed and that the sky is the limit with this kid.
What a week.
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