May 28 – “Trading Babe Ruth”

We did get our Memorial Day invitation to spend time with family.  Kel and Christina called and invited us over for lunch, so we packed Mom up and went all the way into Texas and over to LaMarque.  The allure of spending time with grandkids is pretty strong.  When you add to that the promise of some grilled steaks, it becomes almost overwhelming.  And that’s all before you add the finishing touches of mashed potatoes with cheese and corn on the cob - cooked in the sheaves on the grill as well.  Very good stuff.  Nice job.

Before we could get started I went with Kel and Josiah to get some more charcoal.  We also needed a few more basic things, like hot dog buns for the kids and of course some brownies and Blue Bell ice cream.  Also for the kids, of course.  While there Kel decided to get a few packs of baseball cards.  He got one for each of the boys.  He even got an extra one for himself.  Oh, and he got one for his old man, too.  Hey, I raised that kid right.  They make opening packs of baseball cards a real family affair.  Everyone has to see who got what card.  I was the last one to open mine, and by that time all the others except Micah seemed to have lost interest and moved on to other things.  That is until I revealed a card that was some kind of tribute to Babe Ruth.  Had an image of him post-swing watching the ball fly out of the park, no doubt.  Micah wanted to know who the guy was, and when I spoke the name out loud, it was almost as if a magical aura had descended.  His jaw dropped.  He looked around to see if lightning would strike.  Gazing adoringly at the card, he managed to speak in a voice heavy with awe and wonder, “DadDad got a Babe Ruth.”  Suddenly he shot out of the room, bound for who knows where.  But by now big brother Jachin had heard the good news.  He wanted to check it out and lament that he hadn’t chosen the “right” pack.  And as he contemplated greatness, Micah returned with what he deemed his own best card.  “DadDad, I’ll trade you my good card for your Babe Ruth.”  Not wanting to take what was obviously an important card to him, I asked, “Didn’t you just get a Jose Altuve card in your new pack?”  Again, he shot out of the room, bound as I now knew for his own stash of cards.  Jachin sensed that I might actually be considering a trade, so he grabbed his notebook of cards as well, flipping through pages and desperately trying to put together another option.  And to his credit, he did come up with a good offer.  It included Altuve, along with a few other cards.  Micah returned and probably would have given me his entire stash.  I played along with the negotiation game for a while.  Wanted to give them a chance to practice their skills.  When it came down to the trade signing deadline, though, I had to go with … Micah.  He was the first to request a trade.  He stayed with me when I was opening my pack.  And he obviously wanted the card badly.  I got my Jose Altuve.  Hey, what can I say?  I like the Astros.  Besides, I already have a Babe Ruth that is a bit older than that one.  Jachin was certainly miffed, but I hope he got the message.  Sometimes it’s the intangibles that matter.

Psalms 91:15-16 says, “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Father, help me remember that intangibles do matter.  Like hospitality and encouragement, and integrity.  Amen.