Today was a day that I got to soak in the awesomeness that is Tball. My oldest had his very first game today & his grandparents were able to come up & join us, while celebrating 40 years of marriage. What a blessing. It started off humid, but somehow, lifted & we had our very first glorious fall day. Lovely golden sunlight & a cool breeze & just enough heat in the sun for warmth.
Our buddy had one pitch hit, two Tball hits, and even made an out as the third baseman! We had an absolute blast watching his game. The league can leave us with much to be desired when it comes to organization & communication, however, we didn't let that rob our day of all that was before our eyes.
The little guys had a whole lot more fun in the cheering section today.
Our James in his 'base ball ready' stance. Boy oh boy I loved watching my boy play. He made us so proud. Not because he was the best on the team, but because he enjoyed his time & was focused on the game. (which was a surprise!)
Little Hayden is getting ready for his turn to start playing next Fall... ;-)
We are so glad that Mimi&Grandpa were able to come up & enjoy the fun with us. James, Hayden, & Calvin had the best time. All the excitement, screaming, laughing, playing, swimming & wrestling. You really couldn't ask for a whole lot more.
JOY.
"...do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10
This weekend has come for me in the wake of some sadness. Two different kinds of loss came to those close to me & my heart grieved long on Friday. The peace that comes from the Lord to those who suffer loss of any kind is probably the most amazing thing in this world. The sadness seems so easy to understand, while the peace & quietness in what seems like the pit of sadness is beautiful & confounding to watch. Without the JOY of the Lord, what is your strength? JOY isn't happiness. Even though I believe that the Lord has blessed me with a day of simple pure happiness wrapped up in Tball & beautiful weather. Joy is found in the Lord, and JOY can be your strength.
How do we teach JOY to our boys? Well, I haven't really tried to verbalize it yet. They understand happiness & they understand that the Lord gives them things that make them happy. We have modeled for them how to say thank you to the Lord for what they've been given, and now they do that unexpectedly & it blesses me beyond words. But JOY. I hope they see the example, and when they are older, they will be able to disconnect joy from happiness.
Lord, thank you for your JOY. The pure joy that we can receive from your hands is one of the best gifts in this life. Thank you for the simple pleasure found in a Tball game & all the joy that wells in my heart from you in gratitude for my family. Thank you for teaching me about JOY found after mourning, and that we can lean on you in our times of sadness. Thank you Lord that we do not despair, but that we have hope. Those who hope in your will not be disappointed. Amen.
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