Skip to main content

At the Heart of the Game


I probably have already featured the Miracle League one too many times for any reader's liking, but here I am doing it again. Remember at the end of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" when the narrator says, "the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes..."  That is what it feels like at these games, my heart grows. It is hard to explain, unless you witness it yourself.

There is an overwhelming feeling of love, gentleness and caring at these games. Call me hokey...but do so behind my back and after you have attended a few games and don't feel it yourself.

This week, it started with an early call from a friend whose son is also on one of the teams. She was calling to say that the photographer was fabulous. The professional photographs for team and individual photos were scheduled for this day.

At the field, I witnessed those moments that individually are important, but together, in a short one-hour time frame, they make my heart swell.

They are...

  • The photographer getting emotional after I passed on my friend's compliment to her.


  • The volunteer steering the player to first base as he tried to run in a different direction.


  • The unexpected big hit by the player and the reaction of the crowd.


  • The spectator sitting near me, cheering every child on, no matter what team. He gave them encouragement each time they did not hit the ball. 


  • The photographer taking the extra time with Ben to get an extraordinarily good photo.


  • The last player making her way to home plate, using her walker, taking her time because she has to, and no one getting impatient.


  • Ben's teammate saying goodbye to him.

At this rate, my heart may bust through my chest, but lucky for my readers and me, we only have two more games.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

  "Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

After my post, Brotherly Love , I received an email from a reader who reminded me of this song. I knew the song, but had never really thought about the words and the meaning behind them. I looked it up and thought others might see the lyrics in a new light.   He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows when But I'm strong Strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to there Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy, he's my brother. He's my brother He ain't h

ABC's of ABA

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop presented by a behavior therapist. As it turned out, I went to a conference on the same topic over a year ago. I will describe what I have taken away from these methods in my own words - but please take a look at the links I have provided below. After I learned about this, life with children made a lot more sense to me. Not that this is earth shattering material, but it helped me to better understand the hows, whats and whys of behavior in children, and occasionally husbands. I am in no way an expert in this - just a parent who wants to share a behavior strategy that has worked in our home. I hope to inspire others to explore it further.  Any errors in information comes from me and cannot be blamed on the presenters. Also, you may have seen ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis - connected most often with Autism - please do not let this deter you if your child is not autistic. I use these methods with all my children, none of which are labeled au