Not Just Baseball

We are living and breathing baseball these days.

It's busy and only going to get busier.

Tonight we had two baseball games to attend. Those games overlapped each other so we are usually in a frantic rush from one field to the next. But my focus wasn't on baseball for long.

At my oldest son's game there was a stomach-churning moment. At the field next to ours there was a co-ed softball game being played. Right behind me I heard a gasp and felt and heard a thud. A toddler boy (around 2 to 3 years old) fell backward off the highest bleacher seat. A height of about five feet. A sidewalk runs along the back side of the bleacher. Instantly that little boy started screaming and his dad (I'm assuming it was his dad) clamped his hand over the back of his head where blood was already coming out. It was an awful scene. The family did not react very quickly, in my opinion. My stomach hurt so bad for the little boy. It was agony watching them slowly gather their things and leave for the hospital. In their defense, I believe they were in shock and didn't really know what to do.

All I could do was pray.

After that scene I noticed a familiar face watching that co-ed softball game. I struck up a conversation with her. She was watching her daughter play softball who I was also friends with. She proceeded to tell me about the divorce her and her husband were going through. I asked a lot of questions while she explained the situation to me. My heart just broke for her and her family. I shared with her the story of my parents' divorce and the consequences of it. I told what I felt when going through the process to help her with her kids. We both started crying and I told her I would pray for them. It kills me that any child has to go through such pain. And sometimes the cause of that pain is just complete and utter selfishness. The pain and desperation were written on her face. But there is still a chance for reconciliation.

So I prayed. And I will keep praying for them every day.

Our oldest son had a rough game tonight. He is a very sensitive kid. Another parent from our team had said some harsh words to him before we arrived at the game. I didn't know what had happened. But I could see it on his face from the moment I got there. It was a difference in his attitude and his playing performance. Those words didn't need to be spoken to him. But he also needs to learn to take criticism and let things roll off his back. He hasn't learned this yet. Everything is taken to heart. Some of this attitude has been going on at home also. We've had some struggles recently. We need to know the right words to say, in the right tone and spoken at the right time.

And we need to pray.

It was a stomach-churning, heart-wrenching night with lots of prayer mixed in and a little bit of baseball.