Have you ever become aware of a thread in your life and followed it back to its source?

Several years ago I was sitting in church one Sunday and someone was describing a program through a ministry the church supports called Children of the Nations.  The ministry was started by a couple in our church a number of years ago and provides educational, medical, nutrition and spiritual services for children in some of the world’s impoverished countries.

They were starting a new program in the Dominican Republic called “I Love Baseball”.  Nearly 30% of all major league baseball players come from this small country which occupies half of an island in the Caribbean.  What I learned that day is that young boys are being signed by local men to contracts with a promise to the family that they will turn the boy into a major league player.   The boys sign contracts in which a huge sum of their initial contracts go to these men who run the baseball camps.  When the boys dreams don’t work out they are left without an education, money and other attributes which contribute to the impoverishment of the country.

As I sat there I heard a voice inside me saying that I needed to go there and help in some small way.  When someone asked me why I wanted to go, the answer was easy; I love baseball and always have.

When I was five I started playing t-ball. I played each summer through the years and eventually on my high school baseball team.  I dreamed of being a major league baseball player from as far back as I can remember.  Many of my closest friends were my teammates.

When I graduated from high school I wasn’t good enough to get any sort of scholarship.  But looking around at colleges, one caught my eye.  Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas had a great baseball tradition for a small college.  Even better, they fielded a junior varsity team that played local Junior Colleges.  I had never heard of a college with a JV baseball team and it seemed like a good opportunity to walk-on and see where it led me.

Where it led me was about 2 practices before I realized I had no hope of making the team and needed to focus on something else.

It led me to meeting my friend Mark who taught me how to sail which fostered a love for being on the water.

Through Mark I started working for a company called Lindblad Expeditions which had a couple of ships that sailed in Baja, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.  I had many adventures and met many incredible people working on their ships.

Most importantly I met Alisha and we were married in 1998 and now have two beautiful daughters.

When I trace the thread that baseball has taken me it’s not a stretch for me to say that it has led me to this home in this part of the world with these three amazing ladies who surround me with love each day.

My mother, sister and several friends traveled from around the country to be with me during the lead up to surgery and recovery.  One day while talking to mom about the thread that baseball has been in my life she pointed out that I met Kevin at Southwestern and that it was Kevin who prompted me to see a neurologist which led to where I sit.

There’s something to be said for reflecting on the common threads in your life that have brought you to the present.   Cross-roads that might have led you somewhere completely different.   For me, this path I believe has been guided by the hand of God.  In spite of the many challenges and fears over the years I believe that He has always been faithful and His presence always with me.  I take great comfort and hope in that as I walk in faith down this road.

Today, after church we drove to Tacoma and took in a minor league baseball game.  It’s a family tradition that we do a couple of times each summer.  This was our first game this year and so meaningful for Alisha and I for obvious reasons.  As I sat in the stands with a cool breeze blowing and my family sitting beside me I was once again grateful for baseball and where it has led me.