Florida Fresh Starts

I want to thank you for all the messages of support and encouragement on this new move to Florida. For many it was "sudden" (heck, for me it was too). I've spent the last 4 years cultivating a life of obedience to my faith and the Holy Spirit. My journey has been marked with some backslides that were rooted in some deep resentments and pain and some wounds that just needed to heal.

In June after 9 years of in and out of family court with things seemingly always going backward in spite of the deepest love for my favorite human, our custody journey was marked with more failed therapy and visits that made no progress. The grief exposure everyweek kept me bitter, angry, and wounds that were bleeding on others. I made a decision to stop the fight and just let my son be a kid. There is no greater love than to lay ones life down for another and it was one battle I never thought I would surrender. The financial strain, constant litigation, stress, and loss of career all hit hard. My actions, choices and behaviors played a part but the spirit of this message is to own my part and not point fingers. I didn't know if I was going to make it through that season of life and was honestly very scared. David Stowers approached me with a gift of a plane ticket to go see my family for Christmas but the Holy Spirit had other plans and I bought a one way.

The Lord told me it was time to surrender everything, even Caleb. To make peace I offered to surrender my rights which opened discussion for him to be adopted instead with the terms I can still ask about him. His mother and I are working together to make this happen and bring peace into a former battle zone.

My father and I also had some family things happen that caused strife and broken relationship and again the Holy Spirit lead me to ask for him to be willing to take a step and come back into my life.

As I am now focused on living out a fresh start and currently staying in a sober living house my faith has never been more alive and so much hope.

Thank you to those that didn't discard me in my struggle and helped encourage and walk with me. My pickleball community was truly a saving grace in the darkest of days so thank you all for just being present. I left everything but a couple bags of clothes in Michigan and my focus is to build a pickleball brand, Risen Pickleball. I also owe a special thanks to Larry from Kiwilabspickleball and hoping to help bring brand awareness while here in Florida. We have some really cool ideas in store!

I do believe God is the provider and provision but also feel compelled to start a gofundme as people have reached out and there are those that I'd like to repay for their help along the way. I will need new pickleball teaching supplies, planning on entering into the US Open (men's and mixed) and still struggling to meet some basic needs with some pressing financial matters.

If anyone would like to contribute to help bless this new start, whether it be financially or just prayers I say thank you and appreciate you more than you know.