The Off Season?

My kids love softball and baseball, and we are now entering the heart of those seasons. Seasons which often coincide with fishing and spending time at the lake with family. We often have to choose one over the other. But as I watched my 9-year old pitch in his first game the other day, it struck me that baseball and softball are great sports and that many of the things that make them great have commonalities with hunting and spending time outdoors. 

It seems to me that whether we are trolling along the shores of Lake McConaughy or skirting the turkey woods or tossing a ball in the backyard, we are ultimately spending time together. We are building relationships. We are making memories. We are giving ourselves to each other because that is what love asks of us. 

I suppose I hunt because my father took the time to share one of his passions with me. He sacrificed hunting his own game so he could teach me to sit quietly, to see more clearly, and to listen with more focus. Believe me, that took a great deal of patience and time and I never did get as good at it as he was. Yet, he sacrificed his own success for the mere hope that I may have some of my own simply because love asked that of him.

I continue to hunt and fish and the memories my parents gave to me are as much a part of today as they were when we made them so long ago. I am creating new memories with my children. Memories of watching a first turkey strut toward our blind, of reeling in a late summer walleye, of just sitting quietly in the hopes that a deer may venture into the open, or of teaching them how to throw a ball better.

My kids love softball and baseball and because they do I now love those sports more than I ever have. So during this season, I trade one memory for another. It is a trade I gladly make because my kids want to experience the things that make softball and baseball great sports. And I want to see them experience those things. 

Even if they do not realize it, they are learning many similar lessons they learn in the outdoors. They learn it is okay to fail, and that failure is a great teacher. They make mistakes. They see their teammates make mistakes. They see coaches and umpires make mistakes. And then after those mistakes, they see that the game goes on. They learn the importance of perseverance.  They learn that others rely on them. They learn that they often need help. They learn there are rules, and, more importantly, ethics that must be followed. They get to experience the satisfaction of a game well played and the fruits of extra effort. Most of all, they develop relationships, and I am honored to be a part of that.  

My kids may not become professional ball players, or even play beyond the next few years, but for this brief moment in their lives they get to play the game with joy and passion. I pray they remember the beauty of it. 

And later this summer, when we are fishing on the lake or target shooting in preparation for fall, I will thank God for the children He has entrusted me with. I will thank Him for the opportunity to sacrifice some of the things I want for some of the things they want. And I will thank Him for the greatest sacrifice of all. 

Then I will try to teach my children to the best of my ability because love asks at least that much of me.