Neil and Don and The Braves

 Last night Cal had a baseball game.  He plays for the Braves through The Miracle League which is a league designed for people of all ages and genders with special needs.  He has played for several years, and we all love it.  For the last few years, Neil has been the coach.  For the Fall season, they were planning on splitting up the Braves due to lack of enrollment which made us sad.  The majority of our team has been together from the beginning, and transitioning to a different team might have been confusing for some.   Neil had heard from a few of the OG parents that they weren't sure if their child would play if they weren't on the Braves, because they might not understand the change. At the last minute, they had some additional enrollees, so they added a few new players and kept the Braves together.  CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!!  And our players were thrilled. A lot of that has to do with their teammates but much of it has to do with Neil.  When Cal started playing, he had an amazing coach and "team mom", who wasn't actually anyone's mom; but the young coaches soon to be wife.  After several seasons, they stepped down; and Neil stepped in.  Neil had been helping out for a while, so although there was an adjustment for the players; it didn't take long until they realized Neil was the new coach.  On the way home from the game last night, he was telling me a story about one of the original players, who has Downs Syndrome.  We will call him Don for privacy sake. This particular player used to get really irritated with himself if he couldn't hit the ball in a timely manner which resulted in bringing in the tee.  Over the last few years, he has learned to have a little more patience with himself and is much more successful in hitting the ball and hitting it well.  He and Neil have a really great relationship, and they kid around with each other every game.  One thing Neil does every game, that I did not know about until last night, is he tells Don that he hit the ball so hard he knocked some of the skin off.  And although Don knows Neil is a jokester,  he believes this to be completely true.  At the end of every game, Neil digs around in the tub of balls until he finds one with split skin and ripped stitching and waits for Don to ask for it (which he does).  And at the end of every game, Neil gives Don the ball and tells him that's the ball...the one you knocked the skin off of!!   As I watched Neil cutting up with Don last night and kneeling down on one knee up real close to one batter, who has severe vision problems, so he could see the ball being pitched and encouraging and cheering for his team; something dawned on me.  It was not a new realization for me, but more of an absolute confirmation; and it is this:  Neil has a gift that I and so many have been so fortunate to receive.  It is the way he accepts and loves people.  It's legit!!!  My son has taught me about the meaning of life more than anyone I know, but last night it was confirmed that I still might not have learned what I have if Neil had not been his dad; because he helps me view it through his eyes and action and heart.  How great is that!!