“Sometimes
we are tempted to think that life’s hardships and setbacks, pain and loss
manage to make us think there is no such place as heaven and there is no end to
the pain. When thoughts like that begin to bedevil us, we need a dose of minor
league thinking. Every minor
leaguer knows that, no matter how bumpy and uncomfortable and long the road
trip to the next ball field might be, the length of his journey never alters the
reality of his destination. The
trip won’t last forever and the diamond will be waiting for him at the end.” Dave Dravecky
Greetings
from Cedar Falls,
I wanted
to send a note as I returned from my scheduled checkups in Iowa City last Tuesday
and wanted to share an update on my progress.
It’s been a frustrating last couple of months as side effects from
treatments have been a nuisance. I continue to work with my team of doctors in Iowa City adjusting the
plan as I move forward. They are a
special group of people who continue to work closely with me to help problem
solve the “aches and pains” that accompany the cancer journey. The good news is that the cancer cells
continue to appear to be dormant and that is most certainly a positive! There appear to be some issues from treatment
that will remain with me including nerve damage and scar tissue from the
radiation treatments. They seem to be the culprits in the ongoing “aches and
pains” experienced as a part of each day.
As I often share, these are a very good alternative to having the
visiting team return to “my dugout”! I
will continue to work with the doctors to problem solve these issues and make
each day one that counts in making a difference. I continue to read to find
comfort and answers to the many questions that enter a person’s mind as you
ride the roller coaster that each series of tests brings when dealing with
those “aches and pains”. Most recently,
I have found comfort and some good old fashioned “common sense” in Dave and Jan
Dravecky’s book Do Not Lose Heart. Of
course, it draws an analogy to baseball, so all the more meaningful to me.
As
Dave shares, when playing baseball in the Minor Leagues, you had better learn
to like busses, because whether you like them or not you are going to see
plenty of them. If lucky in the minors,
you might get a bus with air conditioning and reclining seats, if not, you may
be riding with no shocks and vinyl seats that stick to you like Velcro in the
summer heat. Been there and done that! Either way, the trips from ballpark to
ballpark can get long. No matter how long the trip may be, they can always
count on one thing: “the length of their
journey never alters the reality of
their destination”. Whether it takes two
hours, four hours or ten hours (with a couple of flat tires along the way), he
knows he will get there eventually.
In
the same way, the Bible promises us that no matter how difficult our journey
may become, “the length of their journey never alters the reality of their destination”. Obviously, the Bible is not talking
about baseball (although St. Peter could have been a lefthander), instead, it
is talking about the only league that ultimately counts - - the one where God
is the owner, founder and commissioner, where the stadium is paved with
transparent gold, and where all the players are known as saints. It’s talking about eternity.
“Sometimes
we are tempted to think that life’s hardships and setbacks, pain and loss
manage to make us think there is no such place as heaven and there is no end to
the pain. When thoughts like that begin to bedevil us, we need a dose of minor
league thinking. Every minor
leaguer knows that, no matter how bumpy and uncomfortable and long the road
trip to the next ball field might be, the length of his journey never alters the
reality of his destination. The
trip won’t last forever and the diamond will be waiting for him at the end.”
That’s
minor league thinking that results in major league benefits. The point of the
trip is to arrive at the destination. No one claims that the long hours spent
in an “old rundown bus” will always be pleasant, but what is certain is that
the ballpark awaits, freshly groomed and ready to welcome the “saints” who
belong there.
Dave
and Jan do a wonderful job of presenting their thoughts in helping me realize
that no matter how “bumpy the ride” and even though I may not fully understand
His plan, He is preparing me for a far better place than this. It’s time to implement some “minor league
thinking” so that we may “Fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2
Corinthians 4:16-18. Wishing you all well and thanking you for being such a
special part of my “Home Team”!
Sincerely,
Dave
Link to: Reflections
from the Home Team BLOG
http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/
http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/
Link to: Tommy Emmanuel and "Angelina"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU