Life Begins when the Season Starts?

Not mine... Don't get me wrong I adore baseball. I am an enthusiastic convert to baseball fanaticism. HOWEVER, this year we have three children playing ball, Brian is not only coaching, but assisting one team AND is the league director of T-Ball and Pony Leagues. Saturday mornings start early with a check of the weather, and perhaps a trip to the field to check conditions. I have it on good authority that some dads make midnight trips to the ballfield for condition checks. Then if all is a go, it's egg breakfast for all (protein helps a lot on game day!), get 5 kids, mom and dad dressed and out the door by 8:30 for a day of games. Often we have two or three games starting within an hour of each other on different fields miles apart. That was the case today. Add to that 'Picture Day' where hundreds of children are herded to the largest field (which also has the least parking - go figure) 15 minutes before their cross-town game to have their pictures made, first individually (to give the other teammates time to find a space to park) and then as a team. If you have more than one child playing, it's a delicate logistical co-ordination. You've got to take the first one to the photographer (and pose with the team since you're coaching), meanwhile mom has the other two players, drops off the second child for pictures (you quickly change your cap for this child's team photo, hoping you got it right), waits for child#2 to be dropped off at the car while dad dashes like made to the game he's nearly 30 minutes late for. Mom takes child #2 and child #3 to child #2's game, where she finds the field under 6" of water after a week's worth of rain. Since there's no place to park the other three children (not currently playing a game) safely out of the wet, mom finds a place on high ground where she and said kids find themselves in the teeth of a cold spring wind. Two hours of this??? Mom decides to go get the bus, pull it closer and watch the game.

Halfway through, you must leave to bring child #3 to her game on another field. When mom gets there, she is relieved (Deo Gratias!) to find the field under several inches of water and is told the game is cancelled because of safety concerns. Driving back to the original spot of child #2's game, the family watches as two dozen 5 year olds lose interest in playing and begin dancing alone, drawing their names in the sand or acting out scenes from Heaven knows what they've been watching.

Finally child #2's game ends and mom runs to the field where child #1 is playing (and dad has been coaching) only to find that child #1's team is getting completely creamed (22-8!). OK so they're going to be grumpy but at least the games are going to finish an hour earlier than planned, you might get some gardening done this afternoon, perhaps finished clearing up the scrap lumber. But WAIT! It's lunchtime...

An hour later, everyone is outside and ready to go. And it starts to rain... Another day bites the dust. If Life begins when the season starts, I'd rather be in Heaven - its so much more appealing!

*** We actually got a respectable amount of work done despite the utter chaos ***