From Psalm 92:12-13: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree,and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord;they flourish in the courts of our God.”
From 1 Peter 2:1-3: “Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
On the left: portrait of Lucille Ball. On the right: from a scene in “I Love Lucy.” (courtesy of Pinterest)
In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.
One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t play to get discouraged.
Lucille Ball (1911-1989) persevered through a quiet film career in the 1930s and 1940s. Television would be her gateway to stardom with her memorable sitcom “I Love Lucy.” This comedic actress earned five Emmy Awards for her television work.
From Psalm 8:4-6: “What are human beings that you are mindful of them,mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God,and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;you have put all things under their feet.”
From Psalm 8:1-2: “O Lord, our Sovereign,how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,to silence the enemy and the avenger.”
We do not belong to ourselves, nor should we operate independently of the Spirit of God. We are the Lord’s, and as our Master, He has every right to use us in whatever way He chooses.
From Proverbs 16:9: “The human mind plans the way,but the Lord directs the steps.”
From 1968, this little league team would be searching its field of dreams.
Little League baseball fills many youngsters’ late spring and early summer with dreams. For their love of the game comes to life with another season.
America’s pastime sparkles in the Magic City each summer. One of their own, Dave McNally, pitches for the Baltimore Orioles in the big leagues, and he has earned a World Series ring.
Boys throughout the city dream of filling those shoes of their local baseball hero. Alas, one team seems left outside the baselines, experiencing very little success.
They are called “Baseball’s Misfits” in the Central Heights League. Sponsored by the local Masonic Lodge, their nickname is the Masons. Over the past few seasons, many have labeled the team with stinging epitaphs. Other boys can sometimes be so cruel.
Cellar Dwellers!
Losers!
Last Place!
Their uniforms look like they are several seasons past their prime. The fading numbers and letters perfectly describe the team’s fortunes over the past couple of seasons . . . zero wins!
Could fortunes be changing for this band of misfits?
A new coach arrives on the scene, with a refreshing outlook for this team. Coach Pete, assisted by Zup, brings along his three sons, and they join a roster filled with a Laird, Zupan, Luetke, Olson, and a trio of Hjellum’s.
A sense of confidence begins to brew among the players. Could their field of dreams finally come true?
With coaches Pete and Zup guiding, the team learns more about the game. They teach and reteach, with patience and conviction, baseball’s fundamentals. More importantly, they build a positive spirit within the team.
The season rolls out, and the boys take the field with a new sense of believing in their field of dreams. However, other contending teams still look down at these former misfits. Watching the Masons, they see new coaches, a few added players, and the same old, fading uniforms. Sorry boys, not this season!
Playing through their schedule, the boys match wins with the other top team. People begin to take notice of this new team on the block. They look legitimate.
Entering the final game, the team needs one more win to capture the league championship. Fueled by past disappointments and demeaning ridicule, their destiny will now be fulfilled. League Champions!
Taking their championship dreams one step further, the team moves on to the city tournament. Here awaits a field of champions from the other neighborhood leagues in the city.
Losing in the semifinals dashes their ultimate dream. Despite the tears, the boys have experienced an amazing season, fulfilling their summer of dreams.
Special Note: While this account has been embellished a bit, the story is true. I had the pleasure to play on this team as a 12-year old. If you go back to the picture, you can find my Dad and two brothers (far left in the back, Coach Pete; front row far left, Doug; front row far right, Greg; and in the second row, second from the right is yours truly).
This informative post will be posted on Saturday along with my usual writing. We can all appreciate some of the lesser known facts from around the world.
In 1966, the Scott Paper Company introduced a paper dress, a special offer available through the mail for one dollar. Within six months, they had sold five hundred thousand of them–prompting experts to predict that by 1980, twenty-five percent of all our clothes would be made of paper.
Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” is the most well-known and popular rock song to have never been released as a single.
These facts have been discovered in I NEVER KNEW THAT by David Hoffman (2009).
Big Sky Buckeye 