When I was growing up my hero's were not rock stars from the planet Mars and I could process what they were saying with a normal brain. At least with my brain anyway. One of my early mentors in life was my Little League baseball coach.For today, I would like to put aside the learning of the mechanics of the game of baseball and focus on the mechanics of life. As a 9 year old, my coach was a daunting figure to me. He represented authority and my father told me to listen to him and to respect what he was saying because I could learn a lot from him. I was one of twenty players, a member of a team, and while there would be individual instruction, there would be little room for coddling and pity party's.
We learned that everyone on our team would play every game even though not everyone would play the same amount of time. We were expected to do our best and that committing an error or striking out would not be tolerated. Champions were not made from mediocrity. In the four years that I played we won the league championship twice and our division 3 times. Many of the lessons I learned about life back then have become ingrained in my life today.
Perhaps the two biggest life impressions I've taken away from those days are from what took place before each of our games. Our coach would take us aside as a team and would do these 2 things: First, he would have us recite the Little League Pledge which went as follows, "I trust in God; I love my country and will respect its laws. I will play fair and strive to win; but win or lose, I will always do my best." And then he would pray for us. Not that we would win; but that God would protect us and the other team from injuries; and that, by playing we would grow closer to Him.
Be Well.
Bill
