"Mama, I didn't know you could throw like that."

So the other day I picked the kids up from school and we walked home. It was a half day and usually I dread those days because the time lapse just seems to drag on and on. Especially when you are home with two children by yourself. This day though things were a little different.

As we dropped off one of Grace's friends at her house, I noticed another girl on our street out throwing the ball with her brother. Now her mom and I have talked several times about her daughter and all of the skills and talent that she has (which honestly, she is pretty good) in softball. Knowing that I use to play in high school and that I got a college softball scholarship we often talk about the sport and keeping her young daughter focused on her dreams. She is a young 12 year old girl with a lot of talent and this day I decided to take the time to watch her throw the ball. Seeing her brother keep dropping every ball thrown to him, really started to pain me. So I asked if I could catch and throw with her. By this time, my children took a seat on the curb and began watching us throw the ball around. Now mind you it has been a while since I have caught a ball or even thrown one, so naturally I dropped the ball the first time it was thrown at me. Like all good athletes do, I blamed it on the glare of the sun and repositioned ourselves to keep throwing. ;) So as we began throwing a flood of memories came back to me. The many days of practicing my favorite game, the friends that I made over the years of playing, and some of my best games all flashed in my mind as I threw the ball. At the time I could of sworn I smelled the fresh cut grass off the ball field, the orange dirt and chalk that lined the bases. With all these memories in my mind, time just floated and before I knew it we ended up throwing for about 20 minutes.

After returning the glove and walking away with my children I began thinking about choices I made and how I left the game behind me and chose a new path for me. Over the years I have thought about these choices and if it was a good one or not. But as I held my little ones hand we began walking home, she looks at me says "mama I did not know you could throw a ball like that" and I said well softball is a game I love and enjoy playing and played for many years, but now I have you and I enjoy spending my extra time with you, sister and daddy. Then she smiled real big and said " but you could teach me" and my heart beamed. Never have I been the type of parent to push my interests on my kids, so I was thrilled to hear she had an interest. I told her I would be proud to teach her anything about the sport and what I knew about it if she wanted me too. It was that moment that all of my past doubts slipped away because I now know it was the BEST choice I ever made.

So for that day, I had a glimpse of my past and the reassurance that I could still throw a ball as good as the next girl, but what mattered most is what I have learned from the game itself and the future that I have with my children and being able to pass those things on to them.