July 22, 2008Tonight I attended a Bees game with my Dad. I just wanted to note my feelings and emotions about the whole experience. It's moments like this that make me so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with the opportunity to move back home and be closer to Mom and Dad. We went to the game with some of our best friends Jared and Roger Hurst. I think that for both of us, a mid-summer baseball classic with our Dads was invaluable and irreplaceable. It was surreal to sit and eavesdrop on the chatter of the crowd, to feel the echo in my chest of the crack of the bat, and more than anything else, to listen to Dad and Rodger talk & reminisce about their baseball days. The sandlot games that had no beginning or end. Dad said that they would play until it was too dark to see the ball. I imagined what that ball looked like, truly experienced in the game, soiled with the stains of earth and grass. One of them would call out, “It’s too dark to play! We’ll pick it up tomorrow! There’s two outs, you’re on first and you’re on second!” Perhaps it was a good analogy of life. We were watching AAA ball, brand new uniforms, clean white bases, unscathed and unblemished baseballs, young vibrant players with their whole lives ahead of them. And there sat Dad, riddled with Lou Gehrig’s, more like the old ball he played with as a kid, in the twilight of life, yet still taking in every moment, still taking in the sights and smells of the game.
About the bottom of the eighth inning, it started to lightly rain. As we looked up at the sky, the raindrops fluttered down, reflecting the bright lights of the field. They looked like stars falling from the heavens. As I pushed Dad in this wheelchair through the concourse, the rain really stated to come down! Rapidly we wheeled down the elongated ramp, large drops dripped off of the brims of our hats. I’ll never forget the feeling of pushing my dad through the streets, navigating the bumps, roaring through puddles, racing for the car… As we pulled into the driveway, I received a text from Jared, “I’ll bet there was something sweet about wheeling your Dad from the ballpark in the rain.” I replied, “It sure was... it was a dandy time.” He replied, “Awesome.” All sons should experience something that special with their Dad. I was blessed to have another one today.
