Today is an important day
in my life for two reasons. First, today is finally Opening Day for the 2020 Major
League Baseball season! But, for me, today is much more special than that! Today is my
15th wedding anniversary! I am blessed to celebrate this day with my MVP, my
husband! There is no one else I would rather share a bullpen with or go through
a losing slump with, and if I’m being honest, there are many days I’m surprised
he hasn’t made me a free agent!
Baseball has always played
an important part of my life, and I thought there’s no time like the present to
compare baseball to marriage.
The Festivities
Growing up I had the
privilege to attend many home openers at Arlington Stadium cheering on my
beloved Texas Rangers. This is not just an ordinary day in baseball. This is a
day when they call in all the big shots for the celebratory festivities. One of
my favorite Opening Day memories was on April 8, 1991. My dad took me out of
school a little early so we wouldn’t miss the first pitch of the Ranger’s home
opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. President George Bush was throwing out
the first pitch. You may remember that his son, George W. Bush was one of the
owners of the Texas Rangers during that time period. It’s not every day that a
fifth grade girl from a small town in Texas gets to see a real live president
with her very own eyes, so this was a big deal!
In marriage, our wedding
is like an Opening Day. We plan for months for this special ceremony that will
kick off an exciting season of unknowns. We invite the Hall of Famers in our
lives, including our family members, former Sunday School teachers, coaches and
college roommates to share in these festivities. We want everything to be
perfect. But, just as an over the top Opening Day ceremony doesn’t promise a
World Series, an extravagant wedding doesn’t mean a successful marriage. It
takes work....
Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork
A former high school coach
drilled into my head, “We’re only as strong as our weakest link” over and over.
As much as I rolled my eyes at her exhausting voice, I now see where she was
going. Marriage, much like baseball, is a team sport. We have to be dedicated
and committed to a common goal, if not, it makes for an extremely long, losing
season.
One of my favorite baseball
experiences was in October 2012 when my sweet husband surprised me with tickets
to the Wild Card game to watch the Texas Rangers take on the Baltimore Orioles.
Our seats were amazing and the atmosphere was like nothing I had ever
experienced! The fans were on fire! Sadly, my beloved Rangers lost that night
to the stupid Orioles. What? I’m not bitter. But, seriously, looking back on
that game I couldn’t even remember if they had won or lost because I had so
much fun being a part of the experience. The fans rose to the occasion and the
night was memorable.
Marriage is a lot like a
MLB season. There will be seasons where you’re celebrating with champagne, and
there will be long seasons of loss. When I think back on our fifteen years of
marriage, suffering through two miscarriages in the hopes of expanding our
family was one of the toughest seasons for our marriage. The days were long and
we didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, we prospered through, and winning
seasons were on the horizon for us and we soon welcomed two little rookies into
our clubhouse.
Jess was born just in time to cheer on the Rangers with his big sister in the 2011 World Series.
Jentry was born shortly after the Rangers 2013 post season.
Find Your Fans
As I mentioned earlier,
baseball has been a huge part of my life since I was a child. When my parents
realized this obsession was not going anywhere, they started planning our
family vacations around baseball parks. When we arrived at these stadiums I
wanted to look like a local! The first thing I did when I hopped of the L line
at Wrigley was buy a Cub’s shirt! The first thing I did when I went through the
turnstiles at Dodger Stadium was buy some Dodger sunglasses...well, first I
took a picture of me jumping over the outfield wall of Dodge Stadium, but then I bought some Dodger
gear. My point is, I didn’t want to be a fake fan. I wanted to be invested in
the team I was rooting for.
Just hanging out at Dodger Stadium in 1995.
In marriage, you need to
find your cheering section. Now, I’m pretty sure my friends aren’t walking
around with Mark & Emily T-shirts, but if you attended our wedding, you may
still have a golf ball or handheld fan with our name on it.
Sidenote, if you are
reading this and you are not married, do NOT get married outside in Texas in
July. All the personalized golf balls, fans and water bottles will not help
your situation! Maybe this is how I know who my fans are! It’s the ones that
showed up to that HOT wedding, sat outside and yet still love us!!
As I was saying, your
fans...aka support system...are a key component to your marriage. They are the
ones that take your kids so that you can get away for a weekend. They are the
ones that you text when you are on day 12 of unsuccessful potty training. They
are the ones that help you when your grandmother moves into a nursing home.
They are the ones you call when you need a few extra prayers. They are the ones
that show up when you need them. They are the ones that don’t just root for you
individually, they root for your family. I cringe when I hear public speakers
say the new cliche terms like, “let’s unpack this” or “we’re not sure how that
looks.” But, here I am about to use a tired, trendy term: Find your fans, and
do life with them.
Listen to Your Manager/Coach
My love of baseball
started early. I remember learning to hit a plastic ball off of a red Fred
Flintstone sized bat at the age of five.
I then graduated to an
aluminum bat and a softball. If my dad wasn’t busy, I was begging him to pitch
to me in the backyard. I am really surprised my dad hasn’t billed me for Tommy
John surgery after all the pitches he threw to me. Perfecting my stance,
towering over the plate and waiting for my perfect pitching...a tad high and
outside...became my favorite pastime.
My freshman year of high
school I tried out for the softball team and to my surprise, I made
varsity...as a designated hitter. I was flattered because all of my time in the
batting cages had paid off, but being labeled a DH basically means your fielding stinks. BUT I earned my letter jacket my freshman year, so let’s focus
on the positives.
I can't even comment on the ridiculousness of the tall socks and awkward pose of this picture. The 90's were a special time.
I learned early on that
listening to my coach was KEY to my success. Can I be honest? I didn’t like my
coach. At all. But, overtime I began to trust that she saw the big picture and
knew what was best for our team.
I remember vividly one
spring evening when it was my turn to bat, I stepped into the batter’s box and
glanced at my coach for the sign, clearly expecting to see the “swing away”
sign, but she gave me the “bunt” sign. Umm, hello. Did you see who was up to
bat? I don’t bunt, I hit. I stepped out of the batter’s box processing the sign
my coach had just sent me, hoping that my helmet covered my eye rolling. I knew
HOW to bunt, but I didn’t WANT to. I wanted to HIT! I glared back down the
first base line wondering how many sprints she would assign me tomorrow if I
ignored her sign and swung for the fence, but my conscious got the best of me
and I decided to be obedient. I stepped back in the batter’s box one foot at a
time, pulling my bat back into my best Julio Franco stance staring into the
pitcher’s eyes. As soon as she began her wind up, I lowered my bat and waited.
Thud! The ball struck my bat and rolled four inches from the plate. I dropped
the bat and sprinted (y’all, I hit, I don’t run. So imagine a slow motion
sprint) to first base where I was called OUT upon arrival. Insert eye roll #2
of that at bat. As soon as I began to think, “See, if you would have just let
me swing.....” I heard the home plate umpire call my teammate SAFE! My bunt was
successful. Even though I had been called out, I had successfully accomplished
the job I was asked to do.
Listening to a coach is
hard, but for my husband and I listening and trusting in Jesus Christ is
imperative. I am so thankful that even in my time of doubt, I have a husband
and Savior that see the bigger picture. Even when I want to tell God, “No,
we’re going to do it my way!” I hear the Holy Spirit subtly remind me that my
way is often for my own selfish desires. I am thankful to have a husband that
leads our family to obedience in Christ. I’m thankful that when I’m struggling
to process things, I have a husband that will pray with me and for me.
The Legacy
Last summer my dad and I
finally accomplished something we said we would for years, and made it to
Cooperstown, New York to the MLB Hall of Fame. We spent hours in the museum
looking at memorabilia, rosters, championship rings and statues of great
baseball players throughout the years. It was a dream come true for two
baseball fans like us.
If you’re wondering why Cooperstown, New York was chosen
as the place to celebrate Hall of Famers record breaking careers, it’s because
it’s the town where baseball was founded way back in 1839 on Doublesday
Field.
Doublesday Field, the birthplace of baseball.
Much like we looked on in
awe of how far baseball had come, and at our heroes accomplishments, I hope my
family looks back on our marriage one day as All-Star! I pray for winning
seasons in our marriage, and for grace and forgiveness during the slumps. I
pray for rosters full of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I pray that
when any of my teammates are seeking wisdom, they look to their wise Coach
first, and obey the signs and directions they are given.
Ladies and gentlemen may I direct your attention to the
Jumbo-tron for a special dedication:
Mark, I would like to
thank you for 15 amazing seasons. You’ve handled every curve ball and change up
I’ve thrown to you. You’ve calmed me down on the mound and met me in the dugout
with ice when I needed to cool down. I cannot imagine being anyone else’s
teammate. I know the Trade Deadline is fast approaching, but I appreciate you
always keeping me as your starter. I love you and will always be your biggest fan. I'm looking forward to many more seasons.
Thanks for reading! I always appreciate the support.