Busy and Loving It!

I have two sons playing sports right now. My oldest, Mitchell is a freshman in high school playing on the varsity volleyball team. We didn't expect him to get much playing time, but were excited that he had the makings of a varsity player at such a young age. We have been surprised that he has received a lot of playing time. Until last night, he was playing a little stiff and nervous, but last night he stopped thinking through the game and allowed his athleticism and new knowledge of the game to shine through. I was so tickled to see him be a contributor in a match that went through four tight games. He exploded on his blocks and hit the ball with new aggression. He is 6'1" and still trying not to smile like he did as a five year old when something good happens. I love it. That is what I stay involved for. To see him fight that grin and know that he is happy with himself makes my eyes moist every time. Unlike him, I have stopped fighting that emotion. No dam can stop those waterworks.

My younger son's baseball team is struggling right now. Last year this team won the tournament of champions and with 8 returning players all of which were major contributors last year, we expected even greater success. It has not come. We (I am an assistant coach) have struggled in our wins and took a beating last week against a weaker team. My son Cameron is doing very well. He is hitting with new power and purpose. His batting average is 500 and half of his hits so far have been legitimate triples. Still we can't seem to get hits in bunches to start scoring runs. His personal success feels good at home, but with the team in a funk, it is hard to really enjoy it.

We have a game or practice to attend every week night until May 7th. I couln't be happier about that. My sons will never know how thrilling it is to watch them until they have sons or daughters of their own to coach and support. The gift of sports has meant so much to our family. There is always a buzz, something to talk about together and look forward to. We have set goals and talked about hard work and team play. If you are not living on a farm these days, I am not sure where else you can instill these values. We may learn some of these things at church, but you have to put them into practice somewhere. For us, it has been on the field/court.