Baseball games kindle memories

A couple of years ago I drove by Hudson Road and Dixieland watching the Rogers Regional Park being built. Now, today, here I sit on the bleachers of Field 6 watching grown grandsons play softball. The grass is lovely, trees planted, sidewalks, built and all necessary equipment in place. Seems like I blinked and it is done. Of course, I feel the same way about where the month of September went. August, too, now that I think about it.

I watch and listen to the easy give and take sense of humor among these men and fellow team mates. These are 20-, 30-, 40-year-old men. They've all worked all day at their jobs. They are tired and ready to unravel the stress of the work week. The conversations are loud and joking. The camaraderie is confident and almost raunchy but not, because of wives and kids in bleachers. They are finished with their childhoods. All that sibling rivalry and frustration of growing up is over. I recall the first game they played. They were new at it and very nervous and overly anxious to do well. They looked so small out there!

A few years later, it was Little League and a little more confident but also a lot of bluff. And, able to do a little more of the camaraderie with team mates.

Then, high school ball. By now, we know if we are any good at this game or maybe we excel in another area of sports. We've all worked hard all these years so our back and forth is with respect for each other and on an impersonal basis.

Now, I'm watching the grown men play and seeing that it's just a time to enjoy what we do well but don't need to impress anyone. Then, we'll go home, collapse into a deck chair with a couple of cold Cokes while waiting for the grill to heat up. Ready to start a good weekend with the family and probably end up at one of the young ones' ball games.

These are the grandsons that are giving me great-grandbabies faster than I can learn to spell their names. Seems like everyone wants their child's name to be unique. No more Bill, Bud or Bob. No Jill, Jane or Judy. I love all of it and they will all be at my house for Thanksgiving.

No one ever said that I was the smartest stick of wood in the pile, but I'm smart enough to know when I'm blessed.

Our birthdays for November are Peggy Blaylock, Dosia Bryant, Jake Van Dorn and Kathy Good. (I knew that!)

I read this week a quote by Berth: "Time is not an enemy unless you try to kill it."

And: "It's not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years."

Raymond Weston was married at the church on Saturday. Ted Weston's sister-in-law, Neva, is flying in from Montana this week to spend time with Betty and family.

Nice rain!

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Editors note: Edith Lammey has been a resident of the area for nearly 40 years. She can be contacted through The Times at 451-1196 [email protected].

Editorial on 11/04/2015