Up and Over

Growing up I played a lot of sandlot baseball. In the summer every week we'd get a group together and head to the field behind the old high school building. Sometimes we'd have a dozen or so and other times we'd have only seven or eight.

It was when we had so few that we'd play scrub baseball with three batters and the rest would play the field. It took a lot more running and better play to move around, so the bigger boys were at bats a lot more than those of us who were smaller.

I was short and weighed about 60 pounds in those days. The first time I came to play with the big guys I wasn't expected to do much. During this first game it was my turn to bat. I remember it well. The fielders felt so threatened by me that the infield moved in right behind the picture and the outfield moved in to the edge of the infield sand area. You can imagine how embarrassing it was to see this. Everyone was so close I could have thrown my bat and hit any of them easily.

I was always a first pitch hitter, so when the pitcher threw the first pitch I swung hard. More action took place in the next few seconds than the entire time we had been playing. You see, not only did I hit the ball over everyone's head, it sailed out to where they would have been for any other batter. From there is was a mad dash around the bases for me as the outfielders were racing as hard as they could to get the ball as it rolled toward the street behind left field.

A scrawny 60 pound little kid had embarrassed them all. I can still remember it clearly. The next time it was my turn to bat no one moved in closer. The outfielders held their place ready to catch a fly ball that came their way.

Paul wrote to the Philippians, "I can do everything through Him, who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13) Failure comes when we convince ourselves that we cannot succeed. If we believe in ourselves even when others don't we can do great things. Take notice that Paul did not say he could do anything, but that he could do everything. There is nothing that I can't accomplish with God on my side.

I was never a power hitter, but good enough with enough confidence that no one every moved up on me again.



Image courtesy of http://www.iloveclipart.com

It Seems Like Only Yesterday...

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I received the call, "how would you like a baby boy?";

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When the caller asked excitedly, “do you want another boy?”;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I held my boys, rocking them to sleep at night;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I watched my son take the field at his high school football games;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I stood cheering on the sideline at soccer games;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When there were Star Wars and E.T. packages under the Christmas tree;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When there were light sabers and miniature cars and crayons on the floor;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I dried the tears caused by a scraped knee or overturned bicycle;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When I could hold both sons, one in each arm;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When there were crying babies and bottles in the middle of the night;

It Seems Like Only Yesterday…

When there were goodnight hugs and kisses;

Time goes fast and as I reminisce it seems to have raced by. Where did it go? Did I ever think I’d miss all the little things? As I look back I can remember a time when I told myself “I don’t want these boys to grow up.” But time was something I couldn’t stop. There are times now that exist only in my memory; times that if I could relive I’d cherish much more.

It’s tough being a parent, but there are so many more good times to remember than there are struggles. We just need to take the time to take hold of them. We should cherish the todays and look forward to the tomorrows. For before we know it, one day we’ll open our eyes and all our todays and tomorrows will only be our fond memories of yesterday.

The Almost Home Run

We were behind by two runs with two outs and a man on second base. I was the third batter in the lineup and was on deck. Bill, our second batter was one of our best hitters and capable of hitting long balls.

The dilemma the other team faced was to either pitch to Bill or to walk him and pitch to me, someone who didn't seem at least to be a power hitter. I think it took all of two seconds before they decided to pitch to me and threw four balls intentionally walking Bill.

The outfield was in some to try and get a cut off at the plate just in case I hit it their way. The first pitch was a strike that I took a swing at and missed. On the second pitch I connected as well as any ball I'd ever hit. The ball went sailing high over the left fielder's head and into the edge of the woods. We didn't have fences so home runs had to be run out. I rounded first and headed for second, then third and easily crossing home plate for a home run.

Then it happened, the ball came in to second and the second baseman touched the base. The umpire called me out saying that I'd never touched second base. I was furious. I had touched the base. The coach was mad and our team was mad. It was a really big deal. In fact the coach almost quit over it. The home run I almost had was nullified. We lost in the next inning and were devastated.

The secret that I hold in my heart and I alone know until you read this is that I never touched second base. The second baseman was right and the umpire was right. This has been my secret for almost 50 years and one that I still feel ashamed about. It was a lie that could have hurt relationships for a long time. But instead of admitting that I messed up, I covered it up for all these years. Now, the coach and umpire are both dead. Actually, they probably forgot about it 49 and 1/2 years ago, but I didn't and now it can never be corrected.

Lying does that to us. Many times we're the only one who knows the truth, but that doesn't make it right. Once it's done it at times is impossible to correct the damage that is done to others and or to yourself.

Today, I cherish my integrity. I'm not perfect, but I try to be truthful with everyone. Sometimes it's hard and it hurts to face it, but not as much as keeping it buried in your heart.

Proverbs 6:16ff - There are six things the Lord hates one of those is a lying tongue.

Clip art courtesy of http://www.iloveclipart.com

The Empty Room

Well, for the first time in 36 years Kathy and I stayed at home without anybody but ourselves. For 18 years it was the two of of us with our two boys and the dog. When our youngest went off to college that left us with just our oldest, who has cerebral palsy and our two dogs. Two years ago one of our dogs died and a few weeks ago our second dog died. That left the three of us.

Last week our oldest developed pneumonia and had to be put into the hospital. With him in ICU we came home to a dark quiet house, no kids, not pets. It was just the two of us. It was an eerie feeling to walk into the boys' room and know nobody would be sleeping there that night or the next few nights for that matter.

I turned off the monitor in our bedroom for the night for the first time in years. There would be no getting up 2 or 3 times a night to check on our son. There would be no dog scratching the side of the bed in the morning to take a trip outside. There would be no feedings of son or dog during the day. The TV would remain quiet. Fewer clothes would be washed. It would be quiet for the next several days.

But, you know, it really wasn't peaceful. You'd think that it would be nice to be in the quiet atmosphere without as many responsibilities as before. The nights were filled with concern for our sons. Our youngest was in the middle of a move and he and his family were all sick. The oldest was lying in the hospital. We'd come in late and arise early to get back up to check on him.

I believe God's kind of like that. There is really no rest while his children are hurting. He lives with a constant concern for them and their well being. He cares for us every sleeping and waking hour that we live. David wrote in the Psalm 55, "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice."

Jesus talked about the rooms in His Father's house in John 14, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you".

It's comforting to know that God will never rest as long as there is an empty room.

Last night I slept better. The monitor was on and the room was no longer empty.

To See Tomorrow

Have you ever wished you could see into tomorrow to find out what it holds for you? People spend lots of money to try and do just that. Palm Readers, Fortune Tellers, Ouija Boards, Tarot Cards, Horoscopes and the list goes on, are all ways that people want to see what their future holds. In reality you can see into tomorrow. That is if you are in the right place.

Between the Russian mainland and Alaska there are a couple of islands. They are the Diomede Islands. The larger one "Big" Diomede is part of Russia. The smaller one "Little" Diomede is part of the state of Alaska. They are about two and a half miles apart. The interesting thing is that the International Date Line runs between the two Islands. Therefore, you can stand on the shore of Little Diomede and cast your eyes on Big Diomede. When you do you are looking 21 hours into the future. You are looking at tomorrow.

In fact, with permission of course, you could get into a boat head out from Little Diomede to Big Diomede, check out tomorrow and then come back to today. That's about a half hour trip there and back. While on the big island you can look back at yesterday and come back to today on your trip home.

Of course you can't predict what will happen to you on that island, but there is one lesson that can be learned from visiting tomorrow. There is one constant that you can always count on. That is that Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday, and Today and Forever. (Heb. 13:8)

With this in mind we can always look into tomorrow with the confidence that our Savior will be there to meet us.

All I Have to Give

It used to be popular for traveling missionaries to go through areas of the African jungles and establish congregations of Christian worshipers. When first converted many of these congregations were very strict and serious about making sure that they followed the way of the New Testament.

It was the practice at these meetings to carry a large basket during the offering and pass in front of each individual for them to place whatever offering they had brought to the Lord. Everyone was expected to give a gift to God for his work to be done.

At one particular meeting the basket was being carried down the aisle with people placing what they could in its coffer. Finally the two men came to a young teenage boy who had nothing to put in the basket. All he had was the clothes he wore. The men stood in front of the lad waiting, but to no avail. In order to make an example of him the two men sat the basket down and stood silently staring at the embarrassed young man.

The scene lasted for several minutes with the entire congregation focused on the young man as he stood, head bowed with tears rolling down his cheeks. As the two men decided it was useless , but their point being made, they started to pick up the basket. Suddenly, the young teenager raised his head, smiled and stepped into the basket. Proudly he proclaimed, "All I have to give is me, so me I give to God."

Amazingly that's what God really wants as a gift from us, the gift of ourselves. We can give of all the riches we have, but none of it means anything to God unless it is from within our hearts. Our primary gift to God should be our very lives. If we do this not only will God receive what he wants from us, but a heart given to God also turns over not only token gifts of our riches, but all of what we possess.

Jesus told the rich young ruler that if he wanted to do God's will, he must go sell everything he had and follow Him. In other words, Jesus must mean more to us than any worldly possession we have.

Now, when was the last time you stepped into the basket?

Young at Heart

This message is to those of us who are growing older and those who will get there before you know it. I'm always hearing people complain about growing old. I see them "give up" on life and act old when there is still usefulness in their lives. As I get older my knees pop when I get up, my back aches, I need glasses to read, my hair is gray and a little thinner and the joints in my hands struggle with arthritis. However, in reality as we grow older our age is really in our minds. Of course we are physically limited and can't do at 60+ what we could do at 20, but that doesn't mean we have to act old. To be old doesn't have to mean to be useless. It doesn't have to mean outdated. We don't have to be seen as people caught in the past.

Jimmy Durante (I guess this shows my age even mentioning his name) sang a song written by Johnny Richards with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh entitled "Young at Heart" Here are the words:

Fairy tales can come true,
It can happen to you,
If your young at heart.
For it's hard you will find
To be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart.
You can go to extremes
With impossible dreams,
You can laugh
When your dreams
Fall apart at the seams.
And life becomes exciting
With each passing day,
And love is either in your heart
Or on it's way.
Don't you know
That it's worth
Every treasure on earth
To be young at heart.
And as rich as you are
You're much better by far,
To be young at heart.
And if you should survive
To a hundred and five,
Look at all you'll derive
By just being alive.
Now here is the best part,
You have a head start,
If you are amongst the very young...
At heart."

Following is a video sent to me of a couple in their 90's at the Mayo Clinic. It shows life can still be fun as we continue to grow older.

Remember: "The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old." Proverbs 20:29

The Farmer and the Lord

In this life many of us have the tendency to dwell on the negatives of life, how bad things are getting, things we don't like or don't have and so on. We ignore the positives as a result fail to see all the good that's happening around us. I've always liked this little poem by Jim Wilson. It makes us stop, think and be grateful for what we have and not just whine about what we don't.

THE FARMER AND THE LORD

(by Jim Wilson)

(Words as performed by Jim Reeves on the Grand Ole Opry Show)

While restin' one evenin' by the side of the road.
I saw an old farmer in a field he'd just hoed.

His face was all wrinkled and browned by the wind,
And he was talkin' to the Lord, just like you'd be talkin' to a friend.

Well, Sir, he said in a voice calm and quiet.
Them corn tassels need sackin', but, uh, got no string to tie it.

Had no rain in so long the fields are mighty dusty,
And it's been so unbearable hot that the kids are even gettin' fussy.

Now that grass down in the pasture, should be knee high.
If we could just have a little shower Lord, It might keep the cow from going dry.

Aw, but listen to me talkin' Lord, you'd think I was ungreatful.
Why, if you didn't know me so well, you'd think I was downright hateful.

You'd think I'd forgot about the new calf you sent,
The money in the mail that took care of the rent.

Ma's cold's better and Johnny's home from the Navy,
And that good Sunday dinner of chicken, dumplin's and gravy.

And the new preacher you sent us Lord, he's sure a fine young man.
Why he's just been convertin' them sinners to beat the band.

Well, guess I'll be moseyin' along Lord, won't take no more of your time.
Guess there's pleanty of folks hereabouts waitin' to ring your line.

Evenin' to you Lord and watch over us tonight.
And don't you worry about us none Lord, cause everythings gonna be alright.

The Ordeal

At 8:30 on December 11, 1965 I began an ordeal that would last for the next six months. When I couldn't stand up without help on the sideline Coach Gray called for the doctor to come down. After some preliminary tests Dr. Apple decided that I should go to the hospital for x-rays.

At the hospital, not really knowing the extent of my injury I was put in a wheel chair with my jersey and shoulder pads removed over my head without regard to what injury there may be. I was taken to the x-ray room where the technician moved me in all sorts of directions to get pictures of my shoulders and neck. Then is was back to a stretcher where I lay on my back waiting for the results.

The next thing I remember is a doctor coming up to me and saying, "lay very still and don't move." This was an odd request since I had been moved every which way since tackling the player on the field. Then I heard the doctor say that I had crushed the fifth cervical vertebrae. I was wheeled to an operating room where they prepared to drill a couple of holes in my head and put me in traction. While waiting a group of doctors came in and moved me to the side of the room while they rushed in a man from an automobile accident into the same room. As they frantically worked on him I heard the final comments "It's no use. He's dead."

For the next 7 weeks I was in traction in a foster frame. To turn me over I had to have a canvas bed like the one I was lying on placed on top of me, bolted to the bed and the whole bed turned, removing then removing the part that I had been lying on. It was 7 weeks of lying flat on my back or stomach.

At the end of this time I was taken to an operating room where I was put in a plaster cast. It rested on my hips, covering my back, chest and head. The only openings were for the arms and then around my head for my face, ears, throat and top of my head. This 20# plus cast would be with me for the next 6-7 weeks. The only pivot place would be my hips. This was the only time I cried during the entire 6 month ordeal. At this time I felt trapped. The only good thing was I could now walk around and sit in a chair. Of course whether lying down or sitting, I was always on a rock. I'm sure I was scary looking, looking like a zombie. I know I was to my youngest brother when I first came home.

The day finally came when I went into have the cast removed. That was the happiest day of the entire ordeal. For the next several months I'd be in a neck brace, but when I sat down on the hard vinyl seat of our Falcon Futura I felt like I was sitting on nice fluffy pillow. Now I could take a shower, get my hair cut, drive a car and lie on a nice comfortable bed.

Then in June of 1966 I was able to take off the brace and resume a more normal life. My future would be changed however. There would be no college football, no military service and arthritis in my neck whenever the weather changed too drastically. But there was no more paralysis and I was able to move on with life.

Every day I realize how fortunate I was to be where I am today. Every once in a while I look back I wonder at times how I made it through this ordeal so easily. Then the answer comes as easily as the question. It was the support of friends and loved ones. I received hundreds of cards and letters from the people of Plano as well as places far away from my hometown. I knew I was in the thoughts and prayers of thousands of people, most of whom I had never met and never would.

The week following my injury the Plano Wildcats went on to win their first state championship and was on the road to become one of the best high school football programs in the state of Texas. Upon returning my teammates presented me with the game ball from the state championship. I'm looking at it as I sit here writing this blog. It's a Spalding J5-V. It's just a football to most people, but to me it's the love of group of my brothers that I'll never forget.

"If one falls down, a friend can help him up. But pity the man who fall and has no one to help him up." Ecclesiastes 4:10 I survived because of those who were there to help me up.

A Night to Remember

Many of us, and we all will at some time, have had a life changing event occur in our lives that changed the course of our destiny. These events usually make us step back and look at life differently than before. They sometimes give us wisdom and a strong desire to succeed in ways we could never had imagined. Others send us into a downward spiral that infiltrates every part of our lives. In many cases the same event could be the cause of either scenario. That's all determined on how we personally choose to use the event.

One such event happened to me on December 11, 1965 in Wichita Falls, Texas. Our high school football team, the Plano Wildcats, was only one game away from reaching the state AA championship game. We stepped on the field that night against a strong, highly favored team, the Iowa Park Hawks. Most papers were picking the Hawks by two touchdowns and to be the northern Texas representative in the title game.

The year had started out rough for me. I had had three injuries, a bad ankle sprain that hobbled me in the first game, a broken collar bone in another game kept me out another 6 weeks and a bad hip bruise that sidelined me in yet another. But this was my senior year and I loved football so I'd try to get back in the groove in the midst of these trials. As a result of all the injuries and having to be replaced at tailback I was now placed in the position of offensive and defensive end. I must have been about the smallest defensive end in the state at 5'7" and 150 lbs. (Of course the 150 lbs was what was on the program which was a slight exaggeration of 7 or 8 lbs.).

The event that changed my life happened in the first quarter with the score tied 0-0. On this particular play my job was to cover the split end to my side and turn any runner to the inside to trap him in the midst of our pursing line. On this particular play Iowa Parks top runner came around the end and I held my position to turn him inside. As he came around the end the runner didn't have much of a choice. He could either turn up field into a group of 6' 190 lb. linemen or challenge me and my much smaller stature. I held my position, planted by cleats in the sod and took him on planting my head firmly in his stomach.

The next thing I remember is a slow motion fall backwards. I don't remember being knocked out, but when I opened my eyes the first thing I saw were coaches hovering over me. To the best of my recollection the first thing that I said was "I can't move coach". There was no panic, no fear and oddly enough no pain., but I was paralyzed from the neck down. The coach's response to my comment was "You're just scared". Looking back on it I think he was the one scared. I just couldn't move.

The paralysis lasted a short time I'm guessing since before long I could move my leg. My concern at the time was holding up the game so I asked the coaches to carry me off the field. This act in itself could have been devastating due to the later findings. At the sideline our manager helped me to the bench. A short time later the coach asked if I was ready to go back into the game. I raised about 6 inches off the bench and sat back down. I had no strength to stand up. It was then that the doctor came down and decided that I needed to be taken to the hospital.

I had broken my neck, the 5th cervical vertebrae. The word I heard from the doctor was "crushed". I was lucky to able to move at all. Football was over. The ordeal that followed would be tough for an eighteen year old. I'll discuss that in the following post. Yet I'm blessed with a full recovery. So many others have not been as fortunate. To this day when I see someone hurt on the football field the first thing I look at is their legs. As they lie still on the turf I look for sign of movement. If he moves his leg I have a sigh of relief.

I have seen other boys loose the ability to use their arms or legs because of such an accident and I hurt for them and with them. I always think, "that could be me!"

I do not know why I was so fortunate. I do know however that it changed the way I view life. God gives us this short life and we can use it for all sorts of things. The one thing we never know is exactly how long we have to accomplish them. We can use our life to make a difference or we can waste it. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything.,"a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and an time to laugh, at time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, at time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

The decision on how we use life changing events is up to us. They are a time to pay attention.

Oh, by the way we won the game 40-8!