The view of Lake Canadadago is gorgeous and as I sip my Sierra Nevada Hazy IPA and listen to the Grateful Dead, a pontoon boat is trolling across the lake in front of me. If this isn't living, I'm not sure what it.
My beer is all the more satisfying because in the first game this week, Joe's HBC team broke a 4-4 tie and scored the winning run on a walk-off single by JD in the bottom of the 6th inning. It was great to watch the boys celebrating the 5-4 victory on the field, as the parents yelled and clapped from our viewing area down the left field foul line.
One of the Texas boys - a real stud - hit two solo shots, the first of which traveled over the left filed fence more than 250 feet. It was the longest home run I have seen a 12 year old hit this season. HBC was up 4-2 in the top of the 6th, with one out and one on, when a different Texas boy hit a game tying home run, also to left field. Undeterred, our boys quickly put together a one out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning and, just like that, it was game over.
Riley pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine. Very, very impressive outing.
Joe didn't play today, which is to be expected. He's one of the younger - and smaller - boys on this team and he's not going to get a lot of playing time. I want him here for the experience, though, and he understands the deal. He'll start tomorrow, as I understand it, but I'm fine either way. I just want him to have a great week with the boys and enjoy his time at camp.
Last week, on Wednesday night, Jude and I attended the 2024 MBA awards ceremony. The school had e-mailed us asking that we attend, as JP was to receive an award of some sort. I never take these sorts of things for granted because I know how fortunate Jude and I are to have the boys we have. Believers. Competitive. Kind. Intelligent. Hard working. I could go on and on. We're blessed, to be sure.
As we sat with Jude's parents, outside, under the trees at MBA, we were pleasantly surprised when JP received a Geometry Medal. It's a long night, of course, so I couldn't help wondering if there was anything else in store for JP. As it turns out, there was.
JP received a Three Sport Athlete Award, although the plague he got listed all four of his sports - cross country, basketball, baseball, and track. JP was proud that he played four sports, as he should have been. More impressive, however, is that he earned all A's while playing four sports, no small feat at MBA, particularly since he took two or three honors courses.
What stunned us, though I guess it shouldn't have, was when JP received the Donald Ross Outstanding Freshman Award. He was one of three students nominated by the faculty and his classmates voted on the award, which makes it all the more meaningful to me. As Mr. Daughtry, the head of school, read a litany of accolades written by JP's advisor, Elijah Reynolds, it was hard for me to keep it together.
It's strange. You raise your children and although you make mistakes along the way - we all do, as parents - you hope you've imparted on them the best parts of what you know and what you experienced when you were young. Does it take? Do they get it? Were they listening? I don't think you ever really know until nights like Wednesday night, when you see your child get rewarded for all of the hard work.
All you can ask for as a parent, I think, is that your child learn the value of hard work. Work hard. Get better. Cause and effect. It's pretty simple, really.
My boys, JP and Joe, are the crown jewels of life with which God has blessed me. There is no other explanation for it. Not one that I can see, anyway. For reasons I will never understand, God has blessed me with two wonderful, high functioning, achieving sons and allowed me accompany them on their journey to adulthood. It's the greatest gift I could ever receive, without question.
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