Donuts, Diamonds, and Dreams

When you have a dream or something you would like to do, you not only dream about it, but you set your sights on how to achieve it and you get to work. Hard work is easy when it is really what you want to do. It is actually fun..

Donuts, Diamonds and Dreams is my story. I want it to inspire you to write your story. It’s really that simple. You can write in this book, it’s kind of like a journal. Writing things down for me has always been the best way for me to learn and remember what I was thinking!!.

So, what’s with the title? As you will see, my dream was to play major league baseball. I loved playing on the “diamond” and I believe that we are all cut differently, just like “diamonds”, but I really loved donuts. The donuts ultimately slowed me down, so I had to get rid of them. Well, not totally, but sometimes you need to give up what you “like” to get what you “love. The donuts were holding me back.

I had always wanted to tell my story to someone who could illustrate it. I believe that God puts a whole bunch of people on our path to help us out. Through failures, trials and the continued perseverance required to achieve my dream, I have always received a lot of encouragement.

Enter Hector Casanova and Randy Williams of the Kansas City Art Institute. These 2 wonderful friends gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. Hector asked me to tell my story to his students during their story-telling class. I would speak and they would listen and draw one thing that meant the most to them…for a grade. You will see their amazing work.

One of the artists said, “It was amazing how each of us picked up something different and special from the story Billy told. Through the exercise, we learned that we are all diamonds, and we all have amazing dreams. Like, we had a few donuts together, but we learned that we couldn’t eat the whole bag. That would certainly hold us back!!”
Randy coordinated our effort and as the Senior Director of Corporate Development KCAI, he helped put it all together. The students got paid for their work and I received the “gift” of their artistic talents. It is certainly true that a picture is worth a thousand words!!!! They are definitely diamonds!!

My son Will and my grandchildren, David and Annie are the editors. They are amazing. Will said, “We all have a dream, and want to make that dream come true. If you only have one dream, I think you should have three, four, or maybe eight different dreams. Because you never know which new dream will lead you down a path that you never thought you would travel” I love that.

Annie, my granddaughter said, “I love to dance. I love being in the Nutcracker. Da, (me) said he loves to watch me dance. I really think that whatever I choose to do, he will love it” So very true Annie. This year I got to watch her in her high school play. She was amazing. I think parents should support whatever their kids want to do.

Finally, my grandson David said, “Remember, there is no one like you. You are a diamond, and we are all cut differently. No two people are alike. If people just realized that and were more understanding, the world would be a better place”.

OK, enjoy Donuts, Diamonds and Dreams. The sky is the limit. WE are cheering you on. We can’t wait to hear your story….