Unanswered Prayers

I have always considered myself a dreamer. I’m the kind of person that can very easily get lost in the clouds where dreams lie and, at times, are never realized. The dreams that I have are always big, often unimaginable to others. Perhaps my perspective on life is skewed, but I have always believed that opportunities are limitless and that what is meant to be will be. That being said, my life is pretty much as I envisioned it would be, with a few exceptions, or as I like to call them – unanswered prayers.

At the end of every day, I give thanks to the Lord for everything that I have in my life, I pray for my friends, loved ones and even my “enemies,” and I conclude by asking God for the things I have always dreamed of. Most importantly, I always ask that everything I prayed for shall be according to His will, His grace and His perfection, and lastly in harmony with the Universe. At the end of my prayers I “let go and let God.” I lay in bed knowing that what will come to fruition will be according to His plans and that it will be for the best. I also have peace in knowing that whatever prayers remain unanswered were done so intentionally.

Looking back on the years of my life where prayers were both answered and unanswered, hindsight provides a different perspective. Things that weren’t so obvious then, scream, – for lack of a better word – DUH now, and there is comfort in knowing that what I struggle with today will be equally obvious to me in years to come. God really does know better and that has been extremely evident in my life, as well as the lives of my friends and family. It never ceases to amaze me how things turn out for the best when your dreams aren’t answered right away, at the time you want them and how you want them.

God’s rewards are often worth the wait and when things start falling into place even better than you had envisioned, dreamed or prayed, it always reaps a much greater reward.

In closing, I will leave you with a thought Pastor Bob from our church back home preached on a few months ago. He gave us the example of Christmas Day when we were kids. We write down the list of gifts we want and when they start piling up under the tree before the 25^th we always want to open them ahead of time. We beg our parents and try to figure out what is beneath the wrapping but no matter how much we beg or how much we drive ourselves crazy trying to figure out what we got, those gifts will not be available to enjoy until Christmas Day – a day that has already been decided for us. Much the same, God already has a day picked out for us to receive His gifts and no matter how often we beg or how often we try to figure things out, that will not change the fact that we have to wait. But boy o’ boy, is it ever worth the wait!

Blessings and love,

Camille

Another year, another season

I can’t even begin to tell you how fast the off-season came and went. In a week’s time David and I will be moving to Tampa to report for Spring Training.

Much to my relief, we were able to find a fully furnished apartment to lay down our roots for a whopping 2.5 months prior to the commencement of the regular season. I’m actually very excited just knowing that we will have a fully furnished home – to ourselves – for the entirety of Spring Training.

I feel strongly that this off-season has been a time of cleansing. Much has happened and even though we don’t have clear answers to all the whys, we know that the Almighty has a plan in mind. There is a sense of peace that has come over me and in a world where nothing is certain, that is all I can ask for. I have learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him, and he will make straight my paths. Proverbs 3:5-6.

So with that in mind, David and I have few expectations for this season. We have set goals for ourselves but we know that whatever happens is for the best and for a greater purpose. We are handing over any worries to He who strengthens us, allowing God to be our refuge and our fortress. Psalms 91.

See you in Tampa!

God bless,

Camille

Gratitude and the Holidays

Sometimes I think I do a lot of venting on this blog. By opening myself up to the world and writing my innermost thoughts for everyone to read, I am afraid I may sometimes come across as ungrateful; the same goes for my twitter, where I often lack a filter. Hopefully it’s just my ultra-sensitivity making me feel this way, but in the event I am indeed perceived as I just described, I want to clear the air.

I am utterly and unconditionally grateful to God for the life I have. I may complain at times, but I have never lost sight of the fact that I am blessed beyond measure. I was born into a family that has always loved and supported me and I have never had to go without. It’s as simple as this – I have always had a roof over my head, plenty to wear and a fridge full of food – making me better off than 95% of the people in the ENTIRE world and those who don’t even have clean water to drink. For that, I will never stop being grateful. It truly is that simple.

Regardless of what lies ahead for David and me in the world of baseball, I know that we have each other. The level of stress, discomfort, or whatever you want to call it, in our lives at any given time will always fluctuate, whether it be for health, financial or other reasons, but our outlook must always remain positive. At the end of the day, everyone will face myriad challenges in their life, but it is all the way you look at it.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to scream at the roof tops just how grateful I am for my life. I also want to thank all my readers for stopping by or even following my journey from day one – you are appreciated.

In observation of the holidays, I have decided I am going to take a short break from blogging until Spring Training. Don’t worry! David and I will be reporting early so you won’t have to wait until March to hear from me. If something crazy happens before, like say a trade, well then of course I will be popping in for a post or maybe two. 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!

Until next year,

Camille

My Arizona Fortune

Sorry I have been so absent! It has been a crazy few weeks, well, with the election and American Airlines losing my luggage. Oh yeah! I haven’t told you all about that fiasco. My bag tag got switched with another flier’s and my suitcase ended up on vacation in Lima, Peru. The nerve. I’ve never even been to Lima and now my bag thinks it can just take off without me? Rude!

Anyway, 72 hours, a few new outfits and a small makeup fortune later, I was finally reunited with my suitcase. Things could definitely be worse and I am just glad I landed in Arizona in one piece, but seriously, you don’t mess with a woman’s makeup, shoes and clothes. Didn’t American Airlines get that memo?

Since arriving in Arizona I’ve been able to enjoy a few of David’s games. The Rising Stars game was on Saturday and I was elated to be in town for it. We honestly didn’t even plan that out and the timing happened to be perfect. Divinity, I suppose.

Scottsdale Stadium

There really isn’t much to report from here, boy, I never thought I would be at a loss for words, unless of course you are interested in hearing me rant about politics, but I rather spare you. Truthfully, I have been busy with my freelance writing and as of late I’ve been a guest blogger on My Political Rants. I am really enjoying it and even considering getting more involved in politics given the dire need for an uprising in young conservatives, but I won’t get into that here. If you are interested in reading more about my views I encourage you to check out Derrick Coleman’s blog.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

My Testimonial: Baseball and the Lord

It’s an interesting story, one I haven’t shared with the world quite yet. Just recently David was given the book Nine Innings: Baseball and Spirituality by a fan in the Arizona Fall League. With it came a note from the lady who so graciously gave it to him explaining how she was compelled by the Lord to share it with David, specifically. Without ever even meeting my husband, this fan was drawn to him by a greater power. This is one of many experiences that David and I have had as of late, and I think it is time, for those of you who care to know, how David and I were finally saved.

I have touched on my faith just a bit throughout this blog, but I haven’t wanted to delve into it too much in fear of offending my readers. I’m not one to push my values and beliefs on anyone so feel free to stop reading here if you are not interested in what I am about to share.

Let me begin by giving you some background information. I was raised Roman Catholic. Although much of my family and many of my friends attended church every Sunday growing up, I did not. My parents have never been strict Catholics, although they do have strong Christian faith and many of their values are driven by their Christian beliefs. I was baptized as an infant and had my first communion in first grade. I never did my confirmation, mainly because I left the Catholic school system when I was ten. If it weren’t for that, I would’ve continued the status quo.

My entire life I professed I was a Catholic with little validity to substantiate my claim.  It was all I really knew growing up. When my father was diagnosed with stage-4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in my teens, I never considered seeking consolation in my faith. At such a young age I couldn’t see the severity of the situation that confronted my family; my father was given a life-sentence. After months of Chemotherapy and hospitalizations, my father went into remission. This was a miracle. It wasn’t long after his first bout of treatment that the cancer came back, and stronger than before – if that’s even possible. Again my father sought treatment and again went into remission. This was the second miracle I experienced before me.

As all this was taking place, my maternal grandmother was busy praying every day for my father’s recovery. This was something I very much took for granted at my age. I knew what she was doing, but I didn’t accept it as having worked. My grandmother was a woman of incredible faith. She lost her husband back in Cuba to a massive heart attack at age 42 as the Castro régime was underway. Having come from great financial wealth, she never worked a day in her life. Suddenly, she was on a plane out of Cuba with her three daughters in hand and no money to get by. Despite all her struggles, she never lost her faith. Unfortunately, we lost my grandmother my sophomore year in college quite tragically and I never had the chance to say goodbye, need not mention, appreciate her strength as a woman who loved the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before my grandmother’s passing, my father had managed to come in and out of remission a total of four times. In a matter of 10 years, he had Chemotherapy trice and radiation once. I always took for granted my father’s strength for having endured such brutal trials, but I had also failed to see the strength my mother had for not crumbling after years of standing by her husband’s side as he suffered terribly.

One day, not too long ago, I was on the phone with my father as he was describing the chest pain he was experiencing. I told him it was probably heartburn – as if in his 65+ years he had never experienced heartburn before. After days of waiting to go to the hospital, he finally went. After two days of tests, they couldn’t find anything conclusive. My mother, being the pillar of strength that she is, insisted on a stress test. The day the stress test was to take place, my father didn’t have sneakers to walk on the treadmill. Instead, they decided to run the test using an IV-dye. Let me tell you what a miracle that was. The test discovered that my father was on the brink of a massive and deadly heart attack. The doctors told us that had he walked on the treadmill he would have likely died on the spot and had he ignored his symptoms he would’ve surely suffered the same fate at home on the couch.

I can go on and on with stories of how my father has defied odds, because what I have written doesn’t even begin to sum up what he has gone through and the amount of times he has been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. What I can tell you with certainty is that he is a miracle. Even more remarkable, is the fact that his own oncologist, who is a world-renowned researcher for Lymphoma, admittedly told my parents that he was speechless and that my father was indeed a miracle. The fact that a scientist who does not believe in God trumping Science could admit this, is reason enough to contemplate the mercy my father received.

Due to all that I had witnessed in my 24 years of existence, I was certain there was a God, but I failed to identify with one God.  Here is where baseball has played a substantial role in my development as a Christian. Last Spring Training, fellow baseball wife, Breanna Maruzsak, invited me to the Professional Athletes Outreach Baseball Chapel event for baseball wives. I was happy to go, but I was a bit reluctant to talk about the Bible and pray to the Lord with a room full of women I didn’t know. After that experience, however, I felt so much better about my faith and I wanted to encourage David to attend Baseball Chapel moving forward.

David’s story is rather different than mine, and I can’t really give his testimonial, but I can tell you that he has always had far more reservations about his faith than I have. He is one person that absolutely needed to discover God in his own way and at just the right time. As if God hadn’t placed enough signs in front of me my entire life that I failed to follow, I took a leap of faith when I decided to move with David for the first time this past season.  Ultimately, it was during the 2012 baseball season that David’s and my life completely changed.

The Trenton Thunder team came together to defy odds this year. We were divinely placed to share this year with a core group of baseball players and their wives that had strong faith and were life long Christians. These men and women, with the help of the local Baseball Chaplain and his wife, helped David and I rediscover our faith. At some point mid-way through the season, David and I accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and we haven’t looked back.

I can now recognize that I was given a second chance and so was my family with the miracle of my father’s survival, and I will never take another day for granted. I truly appreciate the time that I have with my parents more than ever and I know how blessed we are to have the opportunity to spend another day as a family unit that is still whole.

P.S. I’m sorry if I have typos. I wrote this rather quickly and under overwhelming emotion. Thank you.

Walk in their cleats

Walk in their cleats

This post was prompted by my utter shock and disbelief regarding the world we live in today. There are too many examples to give that prove the state of duress our world is in, but I will start with baseball.

This wonderful yet, at times, brutal, microcosm we live in, is a prime example of what this world has become and is becoming. Let’s start with the Yankees, shall we? We all know that the Yanks are the team that people love to hate. What gets me is the extent of hate that is broadcast around the world. Who would’ve thought that Derek Jeter would break his ankle, and fans, or I should say, spectators, would be surfacing all over the world in celebration. Who could’ve foreseen, Nick Swisher being emotionally disturbed by the nasty comments flying out of the stands during one of the ALCS games? Not me, that’s for sure.

I think it’s safe to say, we all know these comments are uncalled for and plain inhumane. These men, those you root for, or against, are your neighbors, your brothers, your fellow Americans. So why? Why must you tear them down? Wish them harm? What do you gain by doing so? I don’t understand it.

There is friendly competition, and then there is plain, unadulterated hate.  What we really need in this world is less hate and more love. Love is what makes this world turn and what makes life worth living. Do you think for one second, that baseball players hate their jobs? Their careers begin at a young, pure, and innocent age with a dream: to be loved and to do what they love. Then they grow up and reality dawns. It hits them hard in the face and it affects their families and their children.

Even the strongest souls can go undaunted for so long. We are all human, and to think that the hateful comments don’t sting is naïve.  Some of us may do a better job of building a barrier with a moat full of defenses, but if you keep throwing cannons, one will eventually result in injury.

Before you speak another nasty word, think to yourself, “Would I say that to my grandfather, father or brother?” “Would I want the tables turned?” “What could he possibly be feeling?”  “I want to empathize.”

I ask you all to put your feelings aside and think of others. Are your actions and comments constructive or vile? Remember, you are a spec of sand in this endless universe. You are no better than anyone, not even the man who cleans the bathrooms at the stadium. This is a fact that most baseball players can acknowledge. Just because they get paid to do what they love and are admired by many doesn’t mean they think they are better than the world. On the contrary, it teaches you humility. Often times, you need to rise in order to fall. And those who do not learn these valuable lessons will fall.

I bid thee farewell…for now.

Throughout my blog I have touched on my lack of interest in social media. Having moved this year for baseball season to be by David’s side has opened up my eyes to things I wish I never knew. The expression ignorance is bliss is so utterly true yet with everything out on the Internet, being oblivious takes great effort. The harsh reality I have come to accept is – this is life. Or I should say, life in 2012.

All through college and for David’s career prior to his injury in 2010, I paid little attention to his day-to-day life. We spoke on the phone as often as possible but our schedules were, for the most part, opposite. This year, however, has been overwhelmed by change and by learning experiences. I see David every day that he is “home” and I watch all his games from the stands. When he is on the road I sometimes listen to the radio or watch game tracker. No matter how much or how little attention I pay to his career, the pressure is on and it’s relentless.

About a month or so ago my arm was twisted into joining twitter and in an instant I was on the bandwagon I once professed I would never jump on. I took to it right away and started following all the baseball media outlets. Although I was following some great people, I should have never given so much attention to the baseball scene. Suddenly, my phone became a walking newsfeed for all the happenings in the sport. While this was ok for the first few weeks, after some time it got old. I think that, we, as wives and family of athletes, sometimes forget that our husbands/sons/brothers/etc. play this amazing game for a living. It is no surprise to me that the MLB has strict social media guidelines for players. Even though it is much more exciting than that of most jobs, it is still that – a job. We need to respect it and know where to draw the line. This is a line that becomes ever so vague with outlets like twitter, that expand our accessibility.

Athletes, in particular, live under a microscope. People are always going to have their opinions and understandably so. Nevertheless, those opinions really don’t matter, therefore, why feed into them? Why pay them any attention? Whether they are good or bad, they serve no purpose to us as human beings with bountiful God-given potential. It may be difficult to ignore the articles littered with judgments about your beloved, but that is precisely what needs to be done. In the end you cannot gain anything from reading them – positive articles ignite even the slightest bit of pride inside the best of us and negative ones provoke doubt and fear.

Over and over I have expressed how critical it is in this life to zone out all the “noise.” I have even addressed how adamant David is about paying it no mind, yet, with twitter, this became virtually impossible. While the media is great and here to serve a purpose, it is swarming with gossip. Early yesterday I went through the people I was following and did a mass purge. This was not because I wanted to alienate myself from them, but because I wanted to maintain my focus – our focus. No matter how much I fought having a reaction to all of the gossip, I couldn’t help but suddenly consider myself a hypocrite. Up until this point I was on such a good path and then, in what seemed like a flap of the wings, I was doing the very things I abhor. By paying attention to it I was giving it the power it didn’t warrant.

Fortunately for David and me, I have been able to nip this at the bud. After a liberating day from nagging news, I still felt it wasn’t enough. So with David giving me the nudge, I deactivated my twitter. I can’t say that I will be absent from twitter forever, but I am acknowledging that it really serves me no purpose – not right now anyway. As a society we are extremely over stimulated and losing touch with reality – the things that are truly important in this life. I am making my husband and myself a promise through the stretch of this emotionally and physically draining season, to zone out all the “noise” around us.

I must say, however, that this experience has deepened my understanding and appreciation for social media. Having said that, my gut has never failed me and it is the reason I find myself abstaining from unfulfilling abstract sources. This was yet another experience I can walk away from having learned something greater about myself, and the strength of my relationship with both David and God.

Be The Change, Be the Goodness – a “Major” Perk

For those of you who haven’t taken notice, there are many perks to being a professional baseball player.  While living this life is far from easy, there is tremendous good that can come from being part of the baseball family.  More often than not, I believe that I was placed on this path, alongside David, so that we can touch and enrich the lives of those less fortunate.   As a baseball wife, I have given up my career in order to lift up my husband’s.  I have touched on this numerous times throughout my blog but I sincerely believe that my job in this life is to support my beloved – being the best wife and mother possible.

Out of all the benefits being a big leaguer brings, the one that stands out is the backing you receive for your philanthropic work.  This is the main reason I have had to hold off on starting a Foundation with David.  For a long time now I have wanted to create a 501C3 but as the saying goes- the best things in life are worth waiting for…   I recognize that while there is no certainty in this world and especially none, that David will be a Major Leaguer, I look forward to the day when we can reach large audiences for the purpose of good.

One of my favorite quotes: You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi 

You have heard this time and time again; it is a fundamental truth and something that one cannot ignore.   We, as responsible beings, given the gift of life, must look within and establish what we want for ourselves in our present existence.    This revelation must begin from your core and transmit into a greater purpose.

You must first begin by entrusting yourself, holding dear the belief that you are willing and able to do whatever you set your heart and mind to do; one cannot accomplish their maximum potential with a disjointed heart and mind.   These changes can begin with a mere step.  Believe, allow your potential to unfold and welcome the change towards a greater you and subsequent world!

For those of you who are loyal readers of this blog, you are aware that I, myself, have found a resounding passion for animal rights.   Although I have only taken a few steps in this journey, I have begun to make the change that I hope will permeate into the lives of many.

Another truthful quote by Mahatma Gandhi that I love and pertains so well to animal advocacy is, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”   I am 100% convinced that compassion and love are what make this world turn.   In order to have lightness we have darkness and with good comes evil.  These are all polar opposites and as such there is an opposition to love, that which is war.    There is so much hope within our nation, yet at the moment we are stuck fighting a war with our pet overpopulation epidemic (more details on this here: The pet revolution starts with you: Spay and neuter your pets).  While our pet crisis may be minor in comparison to other things, it gives light to the greater issue – lack of compassion.  I find that the compassion or lack thereof for animals transcends cultures.  As humans, if we can open our hearts to animals then we are one step closer to understanding what it means to have unconditional love for our fellow humans.

Whether it be for animal rights or another cause you hold dear to your heart (I have many!), I encourage you to take a single step in the right direction and to make a change that you wish to see in the world!

Many blessings and love.

BE THE COMPASSIONATE.  BE THE EMPATHETIC.   BE THE MORAL.   BE THE PROGRESSIVE.

BE THE EXAMPLE.  And as always…BEGR8ER!

 

Rumor has it you’re green with envy

We all love a little friendly competition; it’s what makes spectator sports so popular.   Becoming a proud fan of a team also helps release your competitive nature, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, the only person you should compete with is yourself.

When used in a positive way, competition can encourage us to grow and learn.  Very easily, however, we can become too engrossed in “winning” and allow others’ successes to affect us in a negative manner.  When you wrap yourself up in what others are doing you can miss the point entirely, subsequently sidetracking yourself from focusing your energies on what you can control -yourself.

David and my motto in life is – YOU, ME & GOD.   Truthfully, in this very competitive life of baseball we only have control of our actions and no one else’s.   It is pointless and a waste of time to focus on what others around you are doing or not doing.   So much can change on a whim so why not enjoy the moment?   Trades, cuts and demotions/promotions are being made daily in the world of baseball and we have zero control over it.    As long as we live in the now, focusing our intentions on becoming better people, we know we are headed in the right direction.

YOU, ME & GOD. This is our motto. These are our rings, taken on our wedding day. The greatest symbol of the commitment we made to one another set atop a bat, because baseball has always been an immense presence in our lives.

I find it interesting that many reporters have asked David what MLB player he would compare himself to.  This is simply not a question that comes to mind for us – ever.    David is – you guessed it – David, and no one else.  He has his strengths and his weaknesses, as we all do, and he will never compare himself to anyone else. No two people in this world are alike and we have recognized that he is unique, one and only, therefore, making comparisons senseless. We are focused on competing with our own potential and trying to exploit our personal strengths by working even harder to improve them.

When you have a hard time accepting what I have addressed above, you can easily fall into the trap of constant comparisons. These comparisons lead to envy, which is one of the ugliest attitudes known to man.  It takes hold of people, appearing relentless.  This truth is evident in fans as well as the very people in the game.

I remember the day that David got drafted by the Yankees.   At that point in his life, nothing mattered but the game.  It was about having the opportunity to play and being grateful for those who believed in him.  The signing bonus this time around had taken on a completely different level of importance than it did out of high school – NONE.   David didn’t care what the Yankees paid him as long as he had the opportunity to play the game he never stopped loving.   The same year that David was drafted, a bunch of our friends were too.  Many of them in the first and second rounds with several signing multi-million dollar deals.  Regardless of what they signed for or where in the draft they went, it didn’t matter.   We were overjoyed to see all of our friends having great success and there was absolutely no room in our hearts for envy.

This still holds true today.  As we get older, more and more of our friends are making their MLB debuts and some of them are starters now.    If not for our focus and self-acceptance, we could easily become envious or depressed that we are still in the minors.   Nevertheless, we are genuinely happy for our friends because we know that there is enough room in this world for all of us to succeed.

The cold hard reality is I am tired of the gossip and the rumors. Since moving this year and recently joining twitter, I have been overwhelmed by the constant information overload.  One day I am reading about trades, another it’s releases and then you have the PEDs issues that are still too common.   Frankly, none of it concerns David or me.   I have learned the hard way that David just doesn’t want to hear it.   Why?  Exactly!  Why would we?

I took this picture from the Trenton Thunder’s FB page. This was taken on August 22 during the Military Appreciation game.

When it comes to baseball, we are focused on ourselves.  We don’t care how much other people are making or when they are given an opportunity for any reason other than congratulating them.    If we stood around comparing our paychecks or wondering when someone may get traded or cut, we would be wasting a whole lot of time.  Instead, we have moved past all that and begun addressing our own personal growth.

I am not perfect nor will I pretend to be, but one nasty emotion that I am happy to say has greatly dissipated from my heart, is envy.   There is simply no room for it in this short life that we live.   David and I have chosen to live as loving a life as possible, one that rules out the need to criticize people.  Every minute that we spend focusing on others is a minute lost.

If you are a Christian or open to reading the Bible, I encourage you to read Pslam 35.  This Psalm is one of the reasons David wears number 35 and it speaks such profound truth.

Be well, and as my sister would say, BEGR8ER.

I am me- I am not my attachments, my possessions or the people in my life.

The above is a daily affirmation.  All too often people identify their worth by the totality of their material possessions.  This is an observation that truly saddens me.  Within the past few years I have come to realize that so many people focus on what they cannot have instead of being thankful for what they do have.  I, myself, have at times been caught up in this very paradox.

As technology grows greater and our species more developed, I wonder if we are in fact digressing.  We come from so much wealth, not in money but in life!  I look outside and wonder what my landscape may have looked like 100 years ago, what grass may have laid beneath me, what species may have stood beside me.

I am grateful to all those who have helped our planet advance in so many ways, yet I cannot help but ponder…what have we done?

In the world of baseball it’s critical to remind yourself that you are, at your very essence, a unique and perfect soul, separate of the possessions that you may or may not have and the people that you know.  This is a truth that you can identify with in the Minor Leagues as well as in the Major Leagues.

In the Majors you may be surrounded by people that live in multi-million dollar homes, drive cars worth more than 90% of Americans’ houses and wear enough money in clothes to feed a poor country.    These are all things that I firmly believe we have a right to have and I can’t say I’ll avoid buying them myself one day, but the key is realizing that they do not define you.   Just the same, in the Minor Leagues you can easily struggle with what you do not have.   From the shortage of a big paycheck, to the uncertainty of when you will have a house to call home or even the lack of reliable transportation.  What many people fail to realize is that there are many baseball players in the minors that live with very little.

No matter how you look at it, I find it to be of the upmost importance to stay grounded in your faith and know that regardless of your attachments, possessions or associations, you are very…very rich.   I know that David and I have definitely been better off financially, especially when I was working, but we are wealthier now than we have ever been.   We have each other, an abundance of love and a growing appreciation for the small things in life.

I read a very interesting Baseball Chapel devotional the other day that was called “Praising During the Tough Times.”  In this short devotional, the baseball wife who wrote it asked a very interesting question – “Have you ever considered trials as a privilege?”   I think most of us would agree that placing trials and privileges in the same sentence seems like a contradiction, but in reality her question makes absolute sense.  YES!  After this year I can very easily answer yes to that question.   It took a lot of crying and a lot of broken, and later mended hearts to realize what a blessing all of our trials have been.

I say it over and over again and I will never forget it, no matter where the road may take me.   I AM ME…I am not my attachments, my possessions or the people in my life.   I encourage you to believe the same.

Much love and blessings!