Fun on the diamond

I love baseball.  Some of the greatest memories of my youth involve playing baseball at Southwest Boys Club and West Urban in Wichita, KS.  It is a wonderful game that encompasses skill, speed, courage, power, and strategy.  It also has a joyous emotional component that comes from being played in the spring and summer when the leaves are green, skies are blue, and the sun is shining.  This spring and summer I have been given the opportunity to coach two different baseball teams.  The Red Sox are part of an adaptive baseball program in Denver through Sports Made Possible (http://www.sportsmadepossible.org/) and Kinley is on the team.  A lot of the kids get around the bases in power wheelchairs or with the aid of a volunteer helper pushing their manual wheelchair or holding their hand while they walk or run.  Most need assistance with every aspect of the game including holding and swinging a bat or  throwing a ball.  Still they play the game with an excitement and enthusiasm that is an inspiration to everyone at the ballpark.  These kids are so thrilled to hear their name called by the announcer when they come to bat and they are smiling from ear to ear when they cross home plate.  They are incredible.

My other team is a group of typical fifth and sixth graders and the truth is I haven’t even met these players yet.  I volunteered to be an assistant coach through the Parker Recreation department and a few minutes later I was a first time head coach. J  I am excited about this experience and next week will get my roster and schedule so I can begin the journey.  Though I’m a little overwhelmed with all of the details and responsibilities I have to say there is one primary goal I have for the kids this summer.  I hope that they will play baseball with the same joy, attitude, and spirit that I see in the Red Sox.

Play ball!


Another great adaptive league is in Wichita, KS and they do a terrific job as well.
http://www.miracleleagueofwichitaks.org/

May-day, May-day........we have a Kinley!

Today was Kinley’s 12^th birthday.  12.  Wow……….next stop teenageville.  Well I’m happy to report she had a fantastic day complete with presents, well wishing phone calls from family and friends, and of course cupcake treats with classmates at school.  I definitely had a lot going through my mind today as I took it all in.  This  birthday also marks an anniversary for me in this journey as a special needs dad.  Ten years ago today was the last birthday she had where she could walk.  In fact at that time she hadn’t started showing any symptoms at all so you could say it was her last “normal” birthday.  Oh how I wish I had burned those birthday images much more clearly into my brain with photographs and videos but it never entered my mind that day in 2002 that things would never be like that again.  Today though I also thought about how grateful I am that she is healthy, continues to grow, and shows no signs of her disease progressing. 

Also today as if the number 12 wasn’t enough to try and get my arms around we also took Kinley to a transition meeting at the middle school she will be attending next year.  Middle school is something that we have always viewed with some worry and trepidation where Kinley is concerned.  Will she continue to make new friends?  Will her typical peers start to ignore her because she is "different"?  Will she encounter a bully for the first time?  I have to say that after meeting the staff today at Sierra Middle School I have a sense of calm and peace that Kinley will be just fine there and in fact continue to thrive.  During the meeting I noticed how Kinley interacted with these new adults that she had just met.  She was confident, personable, respectful, and also gave them a glimpse of her goofy sense of humor.  I am so proud of her for the young lady she is becoming.

Happy 12^th birthday Kinley!