Reading · Love, Life, Laughter

Growing up as the youngest in the family meant I went to every game.

And when I say every game... I mean every game. 😄

⚾ Baseball. 🏈 Football. 🏀 Basketball. 🥎 Softball. ⚽ Soccer.

If one of my brothers or sisters was playing, I was there too.

Now, my dad used to ask me, “Do you have ants in your pants?” because I could never sit still.

Truth be told... I still can’t. 😄

Baseball was my favorite—not because I understood the game, but because I didn’t have to perch on a hot wooden bench or metal bleachers. Instead, I’d find a shady tree 🌳, grab a stick, and spend the afternoon drawing pictures in the dirt.

Somewhere along the way, a family friend named Mark even taught me how to tie my shoes.

Funny the little things you remember. 💛

But what has stayed with me all these years isn’t the games themselves.

It’s watching my dad coach.

There he stood on the sidelines, waving his arms in every direction.

As a little girl, I remember wondering if he was trying to dance.

Maybe he was swatting mosquitoes.

Or maybe—just maybe—he had ants in his pants. 🐜😄

I was honestly a little concerned.

Eventually I learned those wild arm motions weren’t random at all.

He was sending signals.

⚾ Steal second.

⚾ Lay down a bunt.

⚾ Throw the curveball.

There was an entire language happening right in front of me, and I had no idea.

Looking back now, I realize he wasn’t just coaching baseball.

He was investing in kids. 💛

He gave his evenings and weekends to encourage them, teach them, and help them become part of a team. Long before youth sports became year-round commitments, there were dads like mine quietly showing up because they cared.

Maybe that’s one reason fathers have found their way into so many of my stories.

Cole, Clint, Joe, Levi, and Trey aren’t perfect men. Some planned on becoming fathers. Some didn’t. Some are raising children they never expected to be responsible for.

What they all have in common is this:

They keep showing up.

I think that right there is the best definition of fatherhood. 💙

Whether it’s coaching from the sidelines, reading bedtime stories, helping with homework, bath time, or simply being there when life takes an unexpected turn, fathers leave marks on our lives in ways we often don’t recognize until years later.

My dad probably never knew his little girl under the tree was paying attention.

But she was.

And decades later, she’s still telling stories about men who wave their arms on the sidelines, cheering on their kids or the woman they’ve come to love. 💛

With Love, Life, and Laughter (not always in that order),

Leanna 💛

Thanks for reading Love, Life, Laughter! This post is public so feel free to share it.

☕ From the Front Porch

If you enjoy stories about fathers who keep showing up, you’ll find a few of them in Sweetheart, Texas. 🤠💛

📚 Cole in The Double Heart Ranch is raising his five-year-old daughter alone. He loves her fiercely and wants what’s best for her—even if that means asking for help.

📚 Clint in The True Heart Ranch inherits responsibility he never expected when he’s left raising his nephew and niece.

📚 Joe in The Roped Heart Ranch doesn’t believe he’s father material. But one little boy sees something in him that Joe can’t quite see in himself.

📚 Levi in The Wild Heart Ranch discovers he’s a father when a ten-month-old daughter is suddenly placed in his arms. Talk about life changing overnight. 😄

📚 And Trey in The Open Heart Ranch? Trey just wants to help his best friend’s widow navigate life. But sometimes love has other plans. 💛

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