WHEN YOU PLAY "THE NATURAL"

THE BOARDWALK OF LIFE

It was June 1978, and my wife and I had only been married for two days. We were on our Honeymoon in Ocean City, Maryland. If you have been there, you know that the boardwalk holds all kinds of attractions and houses a carnival-like atmosphere in places. As my wife and I strolled down the boardwalk, I spied a booth that we all are familiar with. It’s probably the most straightforward game on the boardwalk. A carnival worker stacks three milk bottles or more in a pyramid, hands you a softball, and you cash in on your best Nolan Ryan impression, right? It’s not usually that simple. Bottles stacked on the bottom are often filled with lead weight, and the softball you’re given emphasizes soft—they may be filled with cork to make them lighter. But even with the odds stacked against me, I wanted to impress her with my athletic abilities and win her a big stuffed animal that she could forever cherish. And besides, baseball was my game, and I had been bragging to her how good I had been in High School and college. I didn’t disappoint! Even I was amazed at how well I did. I kept putting down my money and knocking over the milk bottles repeatedly. I was a superstar and loved showing off to her. After I had won a number of times, I motioned to the Carnie that I was done and wanted my winnings. Much to my surprise he put down in front of me, painstakingly so, my prizes. First, a little green plastic army man. Then, a tiny glass horse, a rabbit’s foot, and last, a tiny plastic farm animal. I think it was a cow if I remember correctly. I was dumbstruck and started to get angry. The booth worker never smiled or seemed the least bit uneasy giving me my expensive and hard-earned “prizes!” I gotta say, I started to lose it. But then something wonderful happened. My new wife of two days started to snicker as each “prize” was presented. Then she began to laugh, and soon she was hysterically laughing beside me, holding onto my arm and practically falling down. I snatched my winnings off the counter as she laughingly pulled me away from the booth. We both laughed all the way down the boardwalk as only a young newly married couple can do. I brought this incident up to my wife of forty-five years the other night, and before I got very far into the story, she burst out laughing, and we both got a great “moment of wonderment” together! I learned a couple of valuable lessons that day so long ago. I married the right girl. When she pulled me away laughing that day, I knew she was a gem. I love her so much. Life has so many things that are of real importance that matter. Winning a stuffed animal wasn’t one of them! She has kept me grounded in the important things! Two; this world will make a lot of empty promises to you and seldom does the reward end up being what you thought it would be for the effort or sacrifice you make. With that said, I am reminded that the eternal promises of the Lord are sure. In Him, the Savior, I can put my trust and know that the promises and covenants I make with Him will bring true eternal rewards! The world often rewards us with plastic army men or tiny glass horses that break easily! I don’t need a rabbit foot for good luck, I need to trust in my Father above and His promises!

ARE WE "RAINY DAY" PEOPLE?

“Rainy day people always seem to know when it’s time to call Rainy day people don’t talk, they just listen till they’ve heard it all Rainy day lovers don’t lie when they tell ‘ya they’ve been down like you Rainy day people don’t mind if you’re cryin’ a tear or two” (Rainy Day People, Gordon Lightfoot) It took me a long time to understand the meaning behind what Gordon Lightfoot wrote and sung in his 1975 song. Sometimes you just like a tune, but you don’t really internalize it’s meaning. And often when you are young, you haven’t experienced the ups and downs of what this world has to offer. As I listened to this old song the other day, I reflected on the nature of its meaning. And I wondered if I was a ‘rainy day person’ to others. Or do I get caught up in my life so much that I am not that friend, that sibling, or that husband or father who is there to listen in time of need? Do I sympathize, or in some cases empathize with others around me? Do I ‘listen to it all’ or half listen as a loved one express themselves to me. And do I let them ‘cry a tear of two’ without rushing them out the door or off the phone. Am I a ‘Rainy Day Lover,’ so to speak? Or when the rain falls in the lives of others am I absent? I love the quote from Stephen R. Covey on this matter. Said he, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” And Malcom Forbes once said, “The art of conversation lies in listening.” I’m going to work on joining others in being “Rainy Day People.” Perhaps I will find, that not only can I help part the dreary skies for others; but in so doing, my skies will become brighter because I have felt the joy that comes when you serve your fellowman with a sincere heart.

WHEN YOU PLAY "THE NATURAL"

A number of years ago, I took the elevator down to the visitors’ locker room in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. I walked with a glove in hand from the locker room to the visitors’ dugout. It was like any other dugout I had been in, except it looked out onto the most beautifully manicured baseball diamond I had ever seen. I found myself positioned at 3rd base. The grass was short; the dirt seemed a combination of nature’s best and man’s additives. The combination left the dirt feeling unusually smooth and almost synthetic. I fielded every ground ball that was hit to me without a problem. The bounces were true and straight. I was standing in the footsteps where some of the greatest third basemen of all time had played, including Hall of Famers Cal Ripkin, Wade Boggs, George Brett, and Alex Rodriguez. I could almost hear the crowd’s roar of approval as I nonchalantly backhanded a hard grounder down the line, which surely would have been a double. I also got to play my favorite position, Centerfield. I caught every fly ball hit to me with ease. My Wilson A2000 glove didn’t betray me. It has been on my hand now for some 40 years. Then came the best part of all. I found myself standing in the on-deck circle. My time at bat was near. I heard my name announced over the loudspeaker. As I strode to the plate, bat in hand, I looked around into the stands. Suddenly, I saw my wife standing up in the stands. She looked so beautiful standing there. The sunlight glistens in her blond hair, giving her an angelic look. She gave me a radiant smile. It was reminiscent of the scene out of the movie “The Natural”, when Robert Redford, struggling at the plate, looks up into the stands. Suddenly, Glen Close, his girl, stands up, and the sun hits her hat just so. Redford gains some “supernatural” power by seeing her, steps into the batter’s box, and blasts a Home Run into the stands. As I dug into the box, I made up my mind to make her proud. I lined a shot into the outfield for a hit on my first swing! I even hit one that cleared the left-field wall! The above story really did happen! A few years back, I received an invitation from the local church leader to represent the church at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles’ PR department invited representatives from local donors, sponsoring organizations, and dignitaries for a night of fielding and batting practice. Dreams can be very elusive in this life. Many of them never come to fruition. But, at least for me, for one night, it did! For many of us, though, this life will be a life of “unfulfilled” dreams. For various reasons, the universe sometimes seems to hold us back. Events happen, and things don’t turn out the way we expected. Such is life! But the great dreams we all have for the riches of eternity are not like our earthly dreams that can often be out of our control. All of our eternal dreams will be fulfilled if we exercise our faith in the Lord and follow His commandments. Eternal rewards sometimes feel far away. But I have no doubt that day will eventually come. My dreams of playing as a Major Leaguer didn’t exactly come to fruition that night, but it was close enough to satisfy this aging ballplayer. My supportive wife even told me I hit better than the other 50 or so guys who took batting practice that night. I don’t know if that’s the truth, but I love her for telling me so! Dreams sometimes do come true. And it did for this old man, for one night,  at “The Yard.” Keep going for the fences! It’s just one swing away!

A HORSE IS A HORSE UNLESS OF COURSE

You have probably never heard of Bamboo Harvester (1949-1970). At the young age of 21, Bamboo died of an “inadvertent tranquilizer administered while he was “in retirement” in…Burbank, California where he lived…” But if I told you that Bamboo Harvester was better known by his screen name of “Mr. Ed”, you would probably remember the famous talking horse of the TV show that aired from 1961 to 1966. Future generations have been exposed to Mr. Ed though the wonder of syndication. “A horse is a horse unless, of course, his name is Mr. Ed”. When I was a little boy I remember watching the show and being amazed at how Mr. Ed would move his mouth as if he were talking. And although I knew it couldn’t be true, a talking horse, it sure was fun watching one that “appeared” to do so. The story behind how they made Bamboo Harvester talk is interesting. “…It was initially done by putting a piece of nylon thread in his mouth. But Ed actually learned to move his lips on cue when the trainer touched his hoof. In fact, he soon learned to do it when I, (Co-starAlan Young), stopped talking during a scene! Ed was very smart!” It is amazing what man can create so many things that appear to be, but are not. So it is with some humor that in teaching a Sunday School lesson this past week there is found the story of a talking donkey. The scriptures are silent as to her name, but perhaps Mrs. Ed wouldn’t be a bad guess. “And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Now, I imagine that this story brings chuckles and ridicule from non believers who think that a talking donkey is just one more example of how ridiculous Bible stories can be and that they are no more than fables. But, as can be attested by the talking Mr. Ed, man can be very creative in making horses, as well as many other animals speak through the miracle of film. I don’t mean to compare the power of God to that of man, but I think it is very clear that if man can make animals appear to speak, certainly God could really have them do so. Why not? The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). When Abraham and Sarah, both past the age of childbearing, doubted the promise of the Lord that they would conceive, He reminded them of His power by saying, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”(Genesis 18:14). With that in mind and with the miracle of the creation all around us, again, I would echo the statement, “Is anything too hard for the Lord”. Keeping in mind that God created the heaven and the earth, wouldn’t it be rather easy for the Lord to open the mouth of a lowly ass and make her talk. Seems to me that it would be a minor problem. Nevertheless, many stumble when reading such things. Why? To me it is not because the story is so “preposterous” as it is a lack of faith in the power of God and the divinity of the Savior. If man can make a horse talk with strings and training, why the big deal about talking donkeys, parting seas, and fire falling from the heavens. Seems to me that He who created all things would find these things very “minor” when it comes to “miracles”. The Lord knows no bounds; indeed “nothing” is too hard for Him. Let us keep in perspective His might and power and let not our senses be too common. God is a God of miracles! Miracles can be as minor as opening the mouth of an ass to speak, or as great as the creation of man.

I'M THANKFUL MY PARENTS SAID "NO!'

In 7th grade, I had a gym teacher for about a month who was a substitute for a sick teacher. He was a middle-aged man who seemed nice.  One morning I was in the wrestling room with all the other boys, warming up, rolling around on the mats when he stuck his head into the door and asked to speak to me. I went out the door and followed him into the locker room towards the gym office. The gym office had glass doors all around but it was enclosed. He invited me into the office and closed the door. I was afraid I had done something wrong or that I was in trouble, because I had never been asked to meet with a teacher, alone, in an office. I hardly knew him and I felt a little uncomfortable. He told me that he substituted all around the area and was always looking for “fine young men”, who stood out among the boys he taught. He told me that I seemed like one of these, “fine young men.” He gave me several other compliments and then told me that he was a single man and didn’t have a wife or kids. He said that because he didn’t have a family, he took a trip each Christmas to Florida for a week. He said that he always took two boys along to keep him company and that they had all kinds of fun staying at the hotel, swimming, going out to eat etc.. He then told me that he had chosen me to be one of the boys he would like to take with him to Florida. Something inside me made me feel uncomfortable and I wanted to say “No thanks!” But he was an adult, and I didn’t have the courage to say anything. He pulled out some pamphlets and photos of the place we would stay. It did look exciting. A pool! A hotel! Flying in a plane! How cool was that! I had never been on a plane or been to Florida. It was very tempting. Inside, I felt like I wanted to say, “No,” but it was so enticing! Instead, I heard myself say, “Yes.” He smiled and asked if I thought my parents would approve. I said I didn’t know. He asked for my phone number and told me he would call them that night. I went home and told my Mom about him.  She asked me a lot of questions and said she would need to talk it over with my father.  When my Dad came home from work,  my Mom talked to him about my ‘friendly’ gym teacher.  My Dad asked me some more questions. I repeated that I wanted to go. The truth of the matter was that even though I told my parents I wanted to go, I really didn’t feel good about it. Something kept nagging at my heart. A warning bell was going off in my mind, but the thought of going to Florida was just too much for a twelve-year-old boy to resist. I remember being in my parents’ room when my Dad told me that they were not going to let me go. I remember the relief of it all. It felt so right. I remember thinking how glad I was that my parents said “No”. When my teacher called, I stood by the phone as my Dad told him that I would not be going. I look back on this experience with gratitude that I had a mother and father who looked after and protected me.  I have no idea how my life would have changed had I not had them watching over me.   My whole life could have been altered had I gone with this man.  We are given mothers and fathers for a reason. They are here to guide and protect us until we reach a time when we can make “sound” decisions on our own. A few years ago I mentioned this experience to my Father who replied, “That was an easy call!” “Yes,” I thought to myself, “But what if I didn’t have a father who was there or cared? What then?” Sadly, today, too many children come from homes where the father is absent, and single mothers are forced into the workforce to support their children. Left unprotected, many innocent and pure children fall prey to predators who,  like buzzards, circle our communities looking for the weak and the unprotected. I am left with the haunting refrain of the sixties folk song; Where have all the fathers gone? Oh, when will they ever learn? (Peter, Paul and Mary) A clarion call to the parents of our country to take responsibility for...