Merchantville Mustangs

It's funny.  Sometimes those who you view as opponents can later become some of your best teammates.  I reflected on that theme on the 83rd day of 2019 as I sat on the bench coaching for the Merchantville Mustangs - the UGSL U18 Softball Team on which my daughter plays.  We had our first exhibition game on 3/24/19 and it was a great game, won 19-2.  Alexa had a great game at the plate and in the field as well.  But that is not what I am grateful for.  I am grateful for this team of players, coaches, and parents that have been together since the Junior Little League Tournament in 2017.  This is our third season on this team and it is filled with so many talented players, caring coaches, and just nice parents to be around.  I am grateful Alexa had the opportunity to play with them in the 2017 Tournament and that developed into the teams in the 2017 Fall, 2018 Spring, 2019 Fall, and now the 2019 Spring seasons.  GO MUSTANGS!

Today's prayer for someone for whom I care is for a family at our church who is going through a fostering experience and it has been hard on them, as new parents, hard on the teen for whom they are trying to provide a welcoming, but structured home, and there are many decisions to be made in the near future.  I pray prayers of wisdom and reconciliation that all goes well.

And the prayer for someone with whom I disagree goes, tonight, to Mike Trout.  Yes, baseball is not as important as many other things, but when he signed his contract with the Angels and then the fans booed Philadelphia, well, that is not OK.  Never forget your roots, Mike, and when you have not experienced winning out there in CA, we'll welcome you back here on the East Coast with open arms.