Turn The Page

Tonight is another page turned in our family life. This particular chapter began when my son turned 3 years old. That was his age when he began to play "Dixie" baseball. Dixie Youth Baseball is just the south eastern United States' version of Little League. We grew up playing this particular brand of baseball as kids ourselves. Brandon began with Tee Ball and tonight, at least for our area, he "aged out" by playing in his last All Star game as a Dixie Boy's Major Leaguer. We actually had a terrible tournament. We played only two games in a double elimination tournament. In two games (fourteen innings) we only scored only 1 run. You don't win when you don't hit the ball.

All of that is really a moot point to what I am feeling. Tonight will be that last time I will step on the field with my son as a part of his coaching staff. I pray that he makes the school team next year and still gets to play, but who knows in a highly political city? Whether he does or not doesn't change the fact that I will not be his coach ever again. I guess that sounds pretty silly to some, but it is really strange for me.

As I stepped onto the field it was really weird thinking about all of those boys that we have watched grow up. So many of them have matured into fine young men. We all like to think that we have had a part in their lives and added a positive influence. Only God knows what He holds for their future. Tonight as the anthem was being sung, I prayed that He would let the boys know that all of the instructions we gave them whether concerning baseball and about life was for their good. Kids have a hard time understanding that sometimes.

I will really miss standing at third and giving signs. I will miss being in on the strategy of the plays. I will miss calling pitches, teaching hitting, pitching, and catching. I will miss throwing batting practice. But, most of all I will miss being out there with my son. Time spent. Teaching about life. Having fun. Making plays. Simply being together. Oh, I know we will spend time together in more special ways. I hope that our relationship continues to grow. I pray for many more times in another chapter of life to spend with not only my son, but my girls also. Please pray for me--this is rough.

Kind of a cool thing that you might want to see is something I found last year on the Dixie Baseball home page. It is a picture of my son from the World Series two years ago. Click Here to see it. He is the cute freckled faced boy on the right.