I am writing in green to signify my love of spring and the end of winter. It is May, and tonight we have to cover plants in danger of freezing...so technically, is it spring?
Baseball is here. It must be spring.

I know I had a great topic tonight to write about but I have lost it. When one has four children, it is easy to lose a thought or two (or your whole brain) once and awhile.

I guess I could discuss baseball. It's all we do as a family at this point in time.
Twins sons are not athletes. They really don't even pretend to be, it's just we like them to get exercise and socialization. It's important in life to be a team player, to know how to recognize authority and respect not only your coach, but the older boys and players who actually make the games possible. That make winning possible.
My sons do nothing at all to make winning possible. But they are there, physically, at the field, cheering on and supporting their friends and fellow players. They strike out almost every time at bat. They miss balls when thrown at them. They miss plays at almost every base, which is why they usually end up in the outfield.
I couldn't be more proud of them.
My pride is based on the fact that even though my twins are not the best, and in all likelihood, the worst on the team, they still want to go and try. They are humiliated every single game. They are nervous and anxiously anticipating a good hit or even a walk, if God would grant them one. Every single game, they are ready and willing to go with their father and be humiliated in front of their friends.
This makes me very proud of them. They do not complain. They don't criticize other players (even though their mother openly criticizes and complains other parents). They admire their peers and they eat humble pie every night they have a game. It builds character and I appreciate the effort they put forth in just 'trying'.
The other thing with the twins playing baseball is this: younger brother is naturally athletically gifted. He just is. There is no other explanation other than those three words. God gave him a gift. This is a child who for almost an entire school year would not talk at school because of a severe speech impediment. This child hung onto his 'bff' for dear life because of his insecurity of other kids and adults not being able to understand him. He has been given the gift of coordination, aggression, and speed. He naturally hits and throws, he is so fast and can easily make it to base. He will sit and watch the older boys and yell and try to memorize plays and tricks. How to slide, how to steal. The younger boy has the gift of being an athlete.
And the twins will sit and watch their younger brothers game and cheer for him and be so proud of him. There is nothing better than sitting in a vehicle after a little league game and listening to two older boys, who really are not athletic, praise a younger brother, who normally is getting in trouble for 'touching their stuff' or 'getting in their way'....they are proud of him and he soaks it up like a sponge.

It is moments like this that I am glad I am a mother.