Back in Time

The sun is shining today. Last year on this date, there was 2 feet on snow on the ground. A snow day turned into a snow week as schools closed and offices shut down for the plows to get through. Very memorable.

As I think about last year, my mind wanders back to the interesting high school days of Buddy the ball player. Now that he is in college, I do not have the day to day contact that I once did....OK...the contact was usually through a closed bedroom door, a text, or a 1 minute appearance at the dinner table...but we did have daily communication. However, it was this time of year that he waited for the college acceptance letter to come from his first choice. This school had recruited him in January and he applied later than most of the high school seniors.

Waiting for the letter of acceptance even though the baseball coach said that it was a "done deal" was agonizing for Buddy and his dad. I knew that the letter would come, but they were a bit more skeptical. I am not sure why...but they needed verification that he would actually be a student at the university AND on the baseball team. With that said, the letter finally came and the excitement was palpable. His classmates did not believe that he actually was granted acceptance into this university. The disbelief that he was on the 2011 baseball roster was further verbalized as they did not understand the extent of his talent. Buddy is a quiet guy. He does not brag nor boast. So, the folks at his high school were not "believers." Some turned into 'haters' as one of his classmates ran a poll among the seniors as to when Buddy would be cut from the university team. This hurt him quite a bit since he really wanted congratulations and not jeers.

Upon reflection, Buddy made the team because he worked hard and had a goal. He sacrificed parties and gatherings to travel with his baseball teams. He worked out almost daily and had a pitching coach who believed in him. When a kid has the support of a family, group of friends, team or community, he or she can accomplish anything. Attitudes make a difference in the outcome....he was positive that he was going to succeed. The proof is his name and number in the locker room at the university.....