The Day Home Plate Grew Over…
Here’s a question for you. Are permanently bare spots in the yard with no grass a problem at your house? They certainly were at ours! Our front yard was privileged to be the neighborhood’s ball lot. From dodge ball to soccer to baseball to football, any sport that needed a goal post, or a home plate and three bases was fair game!
My poor husband used to toil and spend countless hours planting grass seed at home plate. Oh, the many rituals he went through! Seed, water, fertilize, seed, water, fertilize; repeat. I think I even remember a time where begging the grass to grow was involved! We both knew deep down in our hearts that it wouldn’t work, but each year, we tried again. We didn’t want to be the eyesore of the block, because after all, the other homes in our little neighborhood were well manicured and as pretty as a picture right out of “Landscaper’s Delight Magazine!” If I’m being fair, however, there may be a reason for the bare spots. You see, that same husband who struggled so hard in vain to get grass to grow over home plate, is the same husband who played all those games with his children and all their neighborhood buddies right there at home plate!
Nevertheless, as kiddos will do, one by one they grew up and moved on and the ball games followed suit. The changes to home plate were subtle and gradual, but very evident. It didn’t happen overnight, but sometimes change is like that, isn’t it? It happens gradually and subtly until one day you wake up and you realize that something is different, something has changed. The grass has finally covered home plate. The shouting and squealing and fussing over foul balls and being called “safe” at home plate is done. Ahhhhh, the awesome sound of silence. The children are raised! Happiest day of my life!
But, where is the shouting and where are the giggles? Where are the squeals and the fussing? The happiest day of my life? Not the day when home plate grew over. The happiest day of my life is when I realized that change is inevitable and it’s really okay to have bare spots in your yard. We all grow older and home plate grows over. During our life time, things change; sometimes for good, sometimes not; but God’s love abides and the life God blesses us with is still very good! And for today, the grass still covers home plate.
Psalms 117: O praise Jehovah, all ye nations; Laud him, all ye peoples. 2 For his lovingkindness is great toward us; and the truth of Jehovah (endureth) for ever. Praise ye Jehovah.
-Delores Nelson-
The sentiment is good, but only ONE scripture?
Maybe it is meant for an essay and not a Bible lesson.
Beth: It was a Christian mother’s blog on how she has learned to acknowledge & accept change and that God is in control and His love abides in us. You know, kinda like how Jesus told a story (parables) so that people could have a better understanding of what He was teaching. Some articles are written to challenge others to think and/or look up scriptures. Here are some additional verses to look up if you would like: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Psalm 90:12, James 4:13-15, Philippians 3:13-14 , 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, Matthew 24:32-33, 1 John 2:17, John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5, 1 John 4:9-11, 1 John 4:16, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Romans 5:8, & 1 John 3:1.
What a BLESSING it was to live in the house that (sometimes ALL) of the neighborhood kids were at as well as friends from church that rode their bikes from across town!! Every time I’m outside cooking on the charcoal grill & the girls are in the back yard with me, I think back to all of the times dad would play those sports with us in between checking dinner!! Here’s to bare grass at home!!