Stepping up to the Plate

I'm blogging twice in one day!

So, as I said earlier, tonight my middle son played his first baseball game of the season.  He did just fine, and I was so proud of him for getting back out there, even though he was a little concerned about his leg being hit by the ball.  It was a great game, and I sat in the bleachers and watched the whole thing.

And that alone was a big deal.

I had scheduled myself to do concessions duty months ago, before I realized that tonight would be my son's first game of the season.  I called a friend yesterday and asked if she knew of anyone I could call to sub for me, but there weren't many subs to be found.

So I made a plan to have my daughter come with me and tag team: I would duck out if my son was at bat and she would cover for me.  But just before I was ready to leave, my eldest son's coach called me and said he would cover the shift for me, if I could just take the first few minutes until he could get there (and his wife offered to cover my shift next week!). I was really touched - these games are long, and they were willing to sacrifice their time so I could watch my son play.

When I arrived at the concessions to start the shift, another mom from the park told me right away, "You don't have to work!  It's his first game back.  I'll start it off and my son will cover your shift for the rest of the night.  We love your family! Go out and watch the game!"

Two people selflessly jumped in so I could watch my son's game.  This is our third year of baseball and many times we have seen examples of kindness and encouragement and care such as this.  In a world so full of selfishness, what a joy to be a part of this group of people who really care for each other.

I know there's no crying in baseball, but I felt a little teary tonight.