April 22 – “Beaned”

Jachin and Micah spent the night here Wednesday night because their little brother Josiah had surgery to implant some tubes in his ears yesterday.  Bionic ears.  Both of the other boys had already been through it, so they knew it was really not that big a deal.  But their Mom and Dad both wanted to be there for some reason.  So they got to hang out with us.   And of course that meant Thursday early morning baseball.  Sandwiched in between getting Mom to water therapy and preparing the study for home group.  As hard as it sometimes is to get my energy level up for a session of creative baseball with a SEVEN-year-old (hey, I remembered how old he is now, didn't I?) and a four-year-old, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.  My motivation?  I remember when I was ten, eleven, and twelve years old.  Those were my glory years in Little League.  I spent every possible moment doing something related to baseball.  Collecting baseball cards, trading cards with friends, throwing a rubber ball against the side of the garage (it started out as against the side of the house, but for some reason my Mom very gently requested that I redirect the constant pounding.  Can I help it if the only wall without a window was right next to where my Dad had to sleep when he was on late shift?), playing "save the home run" out by the back fence, listening to the Colt .45's on the radio (that's the antique name for the Astros), and playing catch in the back yard with my Dad on days when he didn't have to sleep (that would make my Dad in his early 40's at the time, so I've got fifteen or twenty years of aging on him in doing the baseball with the kids thing).  Our boys played some baseball, but they never really fell in love with it.  Kel enjoyed soccer and basketball.  Josh played soccer, but he fell in love with basketball.  Nathan did the soccer/basketball thing, too, but he also had to make time for surfing and the various other "creative activities" he and his buddies came up with.    So I was in the front yard playing a rousing game of baseball.  The rules were interesting.  No bats were involved.  I was actually kind of surprised at that.  The last time they came over Jachin brought an old wooden bat he had found in their garage.  The relic from the days of the ancients was fascinating to him.  He thought all bats were like his "allumeum" one.  But for our game, no bats were needed.  The catcher would toss or roll the ball toward the fielder and the runner would circle as many bases as he could before he was tagged out or the fielder got control of the ball and called time out.  The game was getting pretty intense.  Nana had joined in, and Micah was showing his speed as a base stealer.  Jachin was catching and I was the pitcher.  A grounder to the right of the mound.  No way could I get back in time to tag Micah out.  Safe at first.  Time.  Nana steps up.  Another grounder, snagged by the fielder, but no, again too late to get either runner.  Safe at first and second.  I tossed the ball back to Jachin.    At that point I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see what was happening.  A stray dog, perhaps?  A tree branch swaying in the wind?  A neighbor stopping by for a visit?  Micah noticing the group of ants plying their trade in the palm tree?  No.  None of those.  Micah was involved, though.  Apparently he was off to the races again, stealing a base.  The movement was not lost on his observant older brother, however.  Without hesitation Jachin did what any good catcher would do in the face of an attempted larceny in his district.  He threw the ball to the fielder.  Did I mention that I was seeking the source of the movement at that particular moment?  How do you spell the sound of the ball hitting thudding against the unguarded forehead of the old man not paying attention?  Thwack.  Plunk.  Thfft.  Yep.  I was hit in the head by the throw from Jachin.  Beaned.  Smacked me in the forehead and rolled into the flower bed.  It didn't hurt all that much, but I didn't move.  Just grabbed my head.  I didn't want him to think he hurt me.  He's pretty sensitive.  I needn't have worried.  Chris' laughter as she rushed over to console me was certainly enough to encourage him.   Habakkuk 3:2 says, "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.  Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."   Father, work some miracles among the "little guys" of our world today.  And it would sure be nice if I got to see them.  Amen.