Aug 13, 2013

For the Love of Dad and Baseball



A little less than two years ago my oldest was struggling with baseball. And by struggling I mean he had no clue what he was doing and really, neither did I.

Trying to teach a six-year-old the fundamentals of baseball was not a forte of mine. I was a worn out single mother just trying to keep my kids fed and loved on as much as possible. I remember those afternoons in the front yard just trying to help my little boy who wanted to hit the ball so badly. 

His first coach was laid back and taught the kids to have fun and not worry about the score.

His second coach screamed at him for not catching the ball and told those little seven-year-olds the most important thing was to win. After the coach shouted at Gabe one day and then at Bryan we decided to remove him from the team.

The coach told me I was doing Gabe a disservice by not letting him play.

I disagreed. 

Bryan has tirelessly worked with Gabe ever since. He's taught him how to catch grounders, fly balls, and all the other ones I can't name. They've rolled in the grass, argued with one another, and laughed loudly through many "practices." 

My heart has felt joy and pain as I've watched Bryan correct Gabe in ways only a Dad can. As a mother I want to jump in and fix it all but I know he needs that male influence steering him in the right direction. 

I've witnessed their relationship develop over time and anyone who sees them together never questions whether Bryan is Gabe's Dad. 

In January we will begin the adoption process so Bryan can become the children's legal father. 

I never believed this would be a part of our story. I secretly hoped to find someone that would want to love and cherish them as much as I did. * Click to Tweet! 

I hoped but never truly believed it could happen.

Then Bryan came along and changed everything. 







Linking up with Crystal Stine
crystalstine.me

24 comments:

  1. Sarah -

    What a beautiful post! May God continue to bless this relationship & your family! This post brings much hope to other single moms. I am so glad that you were brave & shared it. I was your neighbor today at Behind The Scenes.

    Blessings,
    Joanne

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  2. Thank you Joanne! My heart is heavy for other single mothers and I share my story in hopes to show others how much God can change our lives if we let Him.

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  3. This brings tears to my eyes...I'm so happy for you and your family. God can truly redeem any situation, can't He? Thank you for sharing this today...blessings to you all! :)

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  4. I love that quote! My husband Jon married me when my daughter Dana was 8 years old. He once told me he could never coach kids' sports because he didn't have the patience (it was a dream of mine to have my kids' father be their sports coach). Dana started playing softball at the age of 5-almost-6, and the spring after Jon and I were married, we signed her up to play again. At the very first practice Jon asked the coach if he needed any help. Jon ended up coaching girls' softball for 16 years. He is more a father to Dana than her own bio father ever has been, and when Dana got married in 2010, Jon was the one she chose to walk her down the aisle. I love reading your story, friend, because I can see so much of mine in it too, and it shows me how God worked things out for both of us.

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  5. It is wonderful to hear how our stories can be healed and changed and it's so awesome that your husband joined in coaching Dana. Bryan has played sports and coached most of his life so it came naturally to him. I'm grateful he's a part of everything in their lives.



    Love to you Kim!!

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  6. Thanks so much Mel. When I write these posts I'm still in awe of how things have unfolded.


    Thanks for reading!

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  7. Beautiful. And your words have been the ones coming from my own heart. It is a treasure :)

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  8. Thank you for stopping by Kimberly, I'm honored to write for you!

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  9. Love you and your family, Sarah. This is awesome. Praise be to God for bringing Bryan into your lives!!!

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  10. It's the small things, like baseball, that can make seeing your husband with your children so special. How wonderful for your family.

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  11. Lindsay, you are right! In big ways and small ways he's changed our lives so much. Thank you for visiting today!

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  12. You are one of my favorite people Vanessa! Thanks so much for all you do for our email crew. Xoxoxo

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  13. So glad The Lord brought Bryan into your lives! and I love that quote...so true that any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad. Glad Bryan can be their dad!

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  14. Dear Sarah
    It never cease to amaze me how our Pappa God always bring good out of our greatest suffering! We might not believe this at all when we are in the midst of a terrible storm, but afterwards, we just smile a knowing little smile. Bryan is such a blessings after great suffering.
    Love to you XX
    Mia

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  15. NJ @ A Cookie Before DinnerAugust 13, 2013 at 6:31 PM

    Lovely lovely story. I am so glad to see and hear this. Isn't it always funny how God always gives us just what (or who) we need?!?

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  16. Oh what joy to read your words friend... to know that you have found a helpmate, a soulmate to be with you on this journey and that your kids have found their dad... This brings tears to my eyes.

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  17. Yes Tonya, I have. We found each other through our broken pasts and the desire to have a fulfilling future. Thanks so much for reading today!

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  18. It is amazing how God opens doors to our souls when we try to keep them closed. Thanks so much for visiting!

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  19. Thank you Eva, I'm glad too!

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  20. Oh my what a beautiful love story !!!

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  21. Aww, thanks Amy! It's pretty special to me.

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  22. This is beautiful and such an amazing testimony!

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  23. God is full of surprizes and he knows our secret desires. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story here at "Tell Me a Story."

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  24. Thanks Karilee! Sorry I'm so late in responding. I appreciate you reading

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