Rick, we will miss you...

Good Morning!! The first time I met in, he was my B's t-ball coach...11 years ago. The Rangers were city champs that year.....and as the team celebrated the coaches were shaving there heads, that was the deal made with these 5 and 6 year olds..."Yall win and we will shave our heads". This is a glimpse at who Rick Greer was, he loved all sports but he had a passion for baseball and football. He coached his son Ryan to city championships and superbowls. To all that knew him, he was a competetor and he wanted the best out of each child...boy could he get us mom's riled up. Over the last 11 years I experienced the worst of him and the best of him. He would load up the boys, Ryan and B, and take them camping, skiing, tubing or tailgating. B spent many weekends with the father-son duo. On a beautiful summer weekend they headed to possum kingdom...loaded up like the Griswalds they took off for a fun filled weekend....when my B returns home he had a shiny new bike.... "On the way the bikes fell out of the truck....so we bought new ones.....Rick bought it for me"..... as much as he could make me crazy,because yes he was ornary, he treated my son like a jewel. He was a retired Captain with the fire department, he was the head of a tailgating group and part of a ski club..... full of life and had a lot of opinions....in the last years he started umpiring and absolutely loved it..... Shelby and him would spend hours sitting at the CIG bar talking sports, both of them very animated and full of passion. He loved the CIG....Alysha and him would constantly go back and forth. 2 years ago when the radiation made him unable to eat he would still come in just to boost his spirits and to pray.....a million prayers and I love u have passed between Rick, Shelby and I and the last 2 christmas he spent with my family. This week my crew has been reflecting and remembering our friend.... Cindy says to me, my most vivid memory of Rick is the day he was told his cancer had returned... he sat at the bar with tears rolling down his face and with the craziness of the grill going on around us we held hands and prayed.... he was broken and angry and then the next day he stood in front of a grill and cooked for 200 people for a catering.... with a heart of joy. Happy Beautiful Thursday....today for the 2 time in weeks Shelby will have the great honor to carry a friend.... The journey with my sweet friend has taught me much...loving someone with your whole heart, that is not your family is something I hope everyone gets to experience. I am trying to remember God has a perfect plan but right now it is really hard because Shelby and I miss our friend. Shelby and I had not seen our precious friend in a few weeks, hoping to distant our hearts for what was to come... but it did not work...our hearts broken. I am so thankful we were allowed on this journey with Rick....he will be missed but I do know he is 100% healed and living in perfect peace....I pray for his son today and for his best friend Karen....she loved him unconditionally and took care of him daily. He may not be here...but he will forever be apart of me.