A Little Dose of Baseball

What I love most about baseball is the uncertainty. Some games end on a high and others end on a low. Yogi Berra's statement,"It ain't over 'til it's over," is the most clever and true thing a person could say about this sport. I've heard Brad say many times to his boys, "Sometimes you look like professionals and sometimes you look like the Bad News Bears!" This always makes the boys laugh.

The other day our team was down two runs and it was the bottom of the last inning. Everett came up to bat. I tensed up, crossed my fingers, and shouted cheers.  I always hold my breath.

Crack!

He hit a double and the two boys on second and third made it home. The score was now tied 7-7. Then like something you would see in a movie, the next boy came up to bat and hit the ball, so that Everett could score the winning run. We went wild!  At the next game, our team found themselves in the same position. We were confident the boys would come back. They didn't. We lost 7-5.  That's how it is with baseball; you win some, you lose some.

 I never dreamed this sport would impact my son's life so greatly.


The game of baseball has taught Everett the importance of teamwork, good sportsmanship, and individual success.  Baseball has, most importantly, been instrumental in shaping Everett's testimony. Last year, he learned what it meant to truly exercise faith and put his trust in the Lord. The Sabbath day is more meaningful to Everett. I can thank the wonderful game of baseball for these lessons in faith.

Everett has accepted that he would never play travel ball because some games are played on Sunday. Travel ball is far more competitive and would give him even greater opportunities. I have to say that it's not even an issue with Everett. He dreams of playing on a team, but he knows what is most important.

Now to make a long story short, I will share that one of the travel coaches is aware of Everett because Everett's All-Star coach has been telling the travel coach about him. The travel coach knows he is a good ball player, and he knows Everett will not play on Sunday. Circumstances on this team have presented an opportunity for Everett to play ball with them on Saturdays. Everett has been invited to come practice and participate in Saturday games. He did not even have to try out.  There are many other boys that could have been considered.

I asked Everett the other day if he thought this was a coincidence.

"No, I don't." He simply answered.

"Do you think Heavenly father is aware of you and your dreams? I asked him.

"Yes." He thoughtfully answered.

"Me, too," I agreed.

So, there you have it.

In baseball it's never over 'til it's over!

Yogi Berra also said, "You can learn a lot by watching."

I agree.

That's how I've learned everything I know about baseball.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Choosing the perfect book for The Literary Queens is not easy. The criteria for choosing a book is whether or not the book is clean, is the book is worthy of discussion, and will the book appeal to everyone--this is the most difficult for us.  We had fantastic luck with our first two choices, because everyone loved the books. Nikki and I were surprised that some of the ladies did not enjoy this selection, and a couple did not even finish it.

This was cause for a lively discussion.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is set in Seattle, Washington in the early 1940's.  It's a love story between Henry Lee, a Chinese American boy and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese American girl. Henry and Keiko both receive a special scholarship to attend an all white school. They meet while working in the school cafeteria. They quickly form an intense friendship which leads to platonic love. Keiko's family is among the Japanese Americans in Seattle, who are deported to an internment camp in Idaho. Henry and Keiko lose contact with each other because of circumstances beyond their control, but their affection for each other lasts for over four decades until they are able to cross paths again.

Our discussion centered around the mistreatment of the Japanese Americans. It's a shameful part of our history. Two of the ladies shared that they had family who were POW's in Japanese prison camps during WWII. It was interesting to hear about these men and how their lives were forever changed by this experience. What impressed me the most is our friend, Brindi, shared the experience of her Grandfather. He was imprisoned for three years and was a part of the group that was left behind in the Philippines after General MacArthur made his famous escape. He had a beloved wedding band that he miraculously kept hidden from the Japanese during the entirety of his imprisonment. This ring has been handed down to family members. Brindi told us that later in her Grandfather's life, he opened his home to Japanese exchange students. What an amazing example of overcoming hatred.

We had one favorite quote shared by our friend DeAnn:

Mr. Okabe expressed this to Henry when Henry gave him his "I am Chinese" button hoping that it may protect the Okabe family. "You just gave me hope and sometimes hope is enough to get you through anything."

I liked what the author said about Henry,"He'd do what he always did, find the sweet among the bitter."

This is good advice for all of us. 

Next month: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My New Boyfriend

It was love at first sight.

Have you ever seen lips so kissable?

These are my other two boyfriends.

The one on the left was in one of his silly moods.

Isaac Frederick Sorensen is the newest addition to our family.

What a joyful day!