Ramblings of a Tired Mind

Good Monday to each of you! This is a Monday after one of those week-ends that is choreographed like a dance in a musical, where if I’m delayed or miss one step the whole thing will collapse like a house of cards.

So to say that I bounded out of bed this morning, okay, so I never bound out of bed. I would do good to have a system of ropes and pulleys above my bed to lift me to a sitting position, then shove me into a standing position until I am fully vertical. As it is I kind of roll myself out of bed and face the morning through squinted eyes. As you may guess, I am NOT a morning person. But once again, I digress, even though I’m not exactly sure what this blog is about.

First it was Friday with K. Got to spend the afternoon with my great nephew and some of the afternoon with my oldest nephew. They are both amazing in their own right. K is crawling, so had to spend time in baby jail as he goes after the dog like a heat seeking missile. I did let him down and Romeo looked at me with glazed over eyes and jumped up on the couch. K does have a temper and it’s evident when you stop playing the I-dropped-it-on-the-floor-you-say-ah-oh-and-pick-it-up-and-hand-it-back-to-me-so-I-can-drop-it-on-the-floor-again game. I explained he got three times and then it was gone. When it was gone, he was not a happy camper. Trying to get him to sleep I sang Barney’s theme song until I thought I would morph into Baby Bop, then to keep sane I sang this old man he played two, he played knick knack on my shoe (which if you hum it is the same tune) then I went into Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, which lead into Jesus Loves Me, You Are My Sunshine, Zipadedodah which segues nicely into a Spoonful of Sugar, then ended on Feed the Birds. I started singing My Grandfather’s Clock, tick tock tick tock, but it ends with the guy dying, so decided that wasn’t a wholesome naptime song.

I did learn the words to If all of the Raindrops song, so I don’t have to make them up anymore, which pleases everyone. Hey as long as they rhyme, I’m good to go. But that’s not a naptime song, that’s a eating song. So he finally laid down and slept a good solid hour. Then it was up for more fun and fussiness, but I guess it’s boring being in baby jail with all the toys you own piled in on top of you. He wants to be free to roam the far reaches of the dining room and chase the dog.

Saturday I spent in a simulcast with Beth Moore. I would move to Houston if I could go to work for that woman. If anybody has an “in” with her, I’m a dynamite administrative assistant. She is amazing. Her subject was Insecurity, and I firmly believe, after sitting through the simulcast and reading her book, So Long Insecurity, that 98% of the women in America could benefit by her teachings on this subject. There are 2% of women that I think are secure enough that they probably would waste their time reading it. She is so in tune to women and what we need. It’s so different from ages past when men would stand up and proclaim to an all woman audience what their problems were and how to fix them. I’m so glad we’ve evolved in that respect. Not that I believe in evolution, but I can’t digress twice in one blog. It’s against the blogdom rules. ANYWAY. She is incredibly talented and blessed in her work. And those of us who attended the session were blessed in many ways.

Then nephew C had a baseball game and we celebrated his 14th birthday and his father’s (my brother) 50th birthday. Had a fun time of family and laughter and picture taking, which if I could figure out how to attach photos, you might could see them, but then I do like to protect the privacy of the young ones.

Yesterday was church and went home with the intention of changing clothes and working in the yard, and read the paper and fell asleep instead. For about 3 hours. It was wonderful. Woke up groggy and didn’t want to do anything, so went to my favorite drink place and came home with a medium coke and vegged out in front of the tv watching Pretty Woman. Once again a rom-com with a fairy tale ending. Where are those rose colored glasses of mine?

So that was my week-end. It was fun, it was tiring and I’ve got to find the strength to walk most every night this week and I am enduring, um, participating in my first 5k run, um walk, this weekend. Then going to bowl in the Goat Bowl, which is to raise money for Bread for A Hungry World. If you would like to participate as a sponsor, we are raising money to provide families in third world countries chickens, goats or calves to help them pull themselves out of poverty. You can go to www.givebread.org. Click on Give Now, and my team is Honduras. You can give a flock of chickens for as little as $20. If you are so inclined we would appreciate it.

Well, that’s it for now. Hope I made you smile, as I’m sure I didn’t impart much wisdom, but maybe next time.

Shalom!

Stevie

Copyright 2010 Stevie Stevens, Fort Worth, TX. For information contact faithleap@sbcglobal.net

Play Ball!

Spring is in the air and a young man’s fancy turns to baseball! Major league, minor league and everything in between ball. As parents of a little leaguer, you know the thrill you get when your child hits the ball, whether it’s a home run, a pop fly, a line drive, or a foul ball. Every at bat you pray that they’ll just get a piece of it. You run right along with them as they cover the bases, and when they get put out, you feel their pain and celebrate when they make a homer.

For the last several years, parents of special needs children have been able to experience the same thrills. Miracle League came to Randol Mill Park in Arlington, Texas. When I first learned my nephew was going to be playing, I wondered how could some of these children participate who are profoundly impacted by their physical and mental abilities?

I didn’t need to worry. How do those children react? The same way other children react. They are happy when they hit the ball, when their teammate hits the ball and when the other team hits the ball. They congratulate the runners on base, even if they play for the other team. One player on my nephew’s team, every time she hits the ball, it’s going to be a home run because she wants it to be. She passes up her other team members to run all the way home. And that’s okay. The games always end in a tie, but the reality is everybody wins.

Miracle League is open to any special needs child. One of my nephew’s teammates was legally blind, several have been in wheelchairs and a couple used walkers. The field is rubberized, so if they fall they won’t get hurt. Every player has a buddy to run the bases with, and they can hit the ball the coach pitches or hit off a tee. All the players hit, run and score. One player ran all the way around the bases, then ran around them again. He was headed for a third round, when the coach grabbed him and put him in the dugout. They do play by their own set of rules and the first one is Everybody has a great time!

I don’t know much about how Miracle League came to be, I believe it started in Florida, but the purpose of this is not a history lesson, but a His Story lesson.

My nephew loves Miracle League. He has been on Coach Jerry’s team for the last 7 or 8 years. He has friends on the team that have remained the same, while others have rotated out. He has friends from school that play on other teams, and he encourages them just as much as they encourage him. He has trophies from each season which he will proudly show you along with his pictures in his baseball uniform. He gets to bat twice a game, and has turned into a real slugger! Hasn’t quite hit one over the fence yet, but he’s been close.

I get a lump in my throat as I watch these children play baseball who have never had the opportunity before. How their eyes light up as they head for home amid the cheers of the crowd. Hugs are freely given as are smiles. Oh, the smiles. Every face involved has a smile, the children, the parents, the buddies, and the aunts and uncles. Is it little league baseball? No, but I think that the little and major leagues could learn a lot by watching these games. These kids have overcome great obstacles in some cases to play, and they are grateful for the opportunity. These children play ball for the sheer enjoyment of doing something “normal’ for an hour or so. There are no egos on any of these teams, just warm fuzzy moments of pure joy.

If you want to see a miracle in action, get to Randol Mill Park in Arlington any Saturday during the month of May (Except May 1, that’s Special Olympics Day) and spend a couple of hours watching these children. It truly is an amazing sight, one you will not soon forget. And if you smile just right, you might get a hug.

Hugs,

Stevie

Copyright 2010 Stevie Stevens, Fort Worth Texas. For information please contact faithleap@sbcglobal.net