For The Love of The Game

Another season has come and gone. As with many seasons in life it was fun, hard, exciting, frustrating, invigorating and disappointing all at the same time.

We tied, we lost and we won. Us spectators cheered and laughed and spent a lot of time wondering aloud how it would feel to sit through these games without hats and gloves. Brrr… the Oregon Coast in the Spring/fog/wind is not the best time of year to be sitting outside for extended periods of time.

With Bridger every year there is a debate as to whether he will make the Allstar Baseball Team or not. This year was not his year. Although he can hang with the big boys defensively, offensively, his batting needs work and in the end the team needed hitters.

Bridger, although devastated, handled it pretty well. In truth it’s a double edge sword for us all. On the one hand, hanging with all the families on the weekends up and down the coast is a great time and we love doing it. On the other hand Allstars doesn’t end until mid July which makes Summer feel very short. So now that our Summer has been freed up a bit we decided to make plans for other kinds of fun.

1st up was a memorial weekend camping trip with a jaunt up to Eugene to watch the last University of Oregon baseball game of the season. God, in his mercy, made it a day to remember for a tween boy who truly loves the game. Bridger showed up, clean baseball and sharpie in hand, ready to ask players if they would sign his ball.

Graciously, they one by one took the time to make his day. I was proud of him for having the courage to walk up to these college guys and talk to them and was surprised when my normally chatty, expressive son, got nervous and hung back, chewing on his fingernails until they were finished.

A few minutes later a staff member who coordinates activities for the fans came up to Mr. Wonderful and Bridger and asked if Bridger wanted to be the announcer for the UofO batters in the 6th inning! The Sandlot is his favorite movie of all time (his team mates call him Ya Ya) so he knew exactly what anncouncing the players meant and he couldn’t have been more thrilled.

God didn’t have to show up and turn a major disappointment in our boy’s life into a memory he will never forget, but He did. The weather was warm (a special treat for mama), the hot dogs were huge, the game was lost but the day was oh so special for a family who was looking for adventure.

Have a Fabulous Weekend My Friends!

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