The Hot and Humid Day

It was a hot and humid August day, and the air just seemed to be hanging in one place at the batting cages in Ridgeland. My dad and I had spent a little over an hour tweaking my softball swing and taking some much-needed cuts as I exited the cage to let one of my younger brothers have his turn.  I took a knee to assemble my fast-pitch gear and stow it away in my catcher’s bag when I heard a raised voice coming from the adjacent cages about one-hundred feet away.  A girl of no more than eight or nine, wearing a pink softball helmet was being scolded by her father.  Her little head was lowered to avoid eye-contact with him and she just held her matching pink bat over her sagging shoulders. After a few choice words that I couldn’t make out, the man disgustingly tossed his glove into a bag, pointed at the twenty or so softballs lying in the cage and walked off toward a group of older girls heading in the direction of the fast-pitch fields.

As my dad began soft-tossing batting practice with my youngest brother, I walked over and ducked into the cage with this little girl.  I didn’t say anything at first, I just deliberately began picking up softballs with her and tossing them into the bag between us.  The initial conversation between us I’d like to keep to myself, but within a few short minutes, those teary eyes and frown were replaced by a bright smile and engaging baby-blues. For the next hour I was the teacher, she was the talkative and very inquisitive pupil, and softball was the subject.I softly and confidently shared my simple strategies of hitting and the game experiences I’ve had as a college-bound softball player. With each passing moment, her smile grew wider, her step became livelier, and her confidence grew with each swing.

Over the years, playing sports has taught me many things, all of which have molded me into the person that I have become today.  I have gained knowledge and experience in my sport of choice, endurance to handle struggles; patience to stick it out in tough times, the importance of workingwith a team, and most importantly it has given me a sense of who I want to be as a person.  Only now, that I am a senior, can I look back and see all of the knowledge that I have gained.  At the time, many of the things that I faced may have actually been times of learning put in place by my Maker.  It takes moments like the hot August day to realize just how much sports has affected my life and changed me for the better.  Playing sports has given me the compassion to pay attention to those struggling around me, the kindness to take the time to share my skills, and the insight through my own experiences to know when to get involved.  That very day, I found my calling.  Mother Theresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  My actions on that hot August day may not seem like much to some, but could be taken as a miracle to others…..just ask the little girl in the pink helmet.