Pride.
That's what I'm bloggin' bout. Last
weekend made me proud. Proud of my son,
proud of the community I live in, proud of people who fight through adversity I
have never faced, and proud of people who change the world every day.
Last weekend, I spent 2 hours with my son Colin (left) and Desi, one of his 10 year-old Westboro Baseball All-Star teammates. This
Summer, their team is collecting for the Jimmy Fund. So on Saturday Morning, we headed to Harvey's
Transfer Station ("the dump" as we affectionately call it in
Westboro.) I figured they'd at least get some donations
and maybe a few waves. They got that and
a lot more.
Yes, they got dollar bills ranging from 1's to 5's
to 10's to even a couple of 20's. They
got handfuls and plastic baggies full of coins (many people said "I don't
have any bills, but you can have all the change in my car.) They raised $287 in 2 hours, but the big win
was the pride.
We saw the pride of a community. People asked how
the team was doing and told the boys they were doing good work. Even if they couldn't donate, they stopped
and said they didn't have any money with them and wished them luck. I can relate:
I've been to the dump without my wallet and did the same thing. (I hope any law enforcement officers reading
this will observe the statute of limitations here.)
And the stories we heard! People whose kids played Little League and
were now grown. Coaches of other teams. A man who ran baseball
tournaments for kids who couldn't make the A-team but really wanted to
play. People whose family and friends were
touched by cancer, one who showed us the scar on his head where he is being treated
for brain cancer at Dana Farber. And a
woman who works at Dana Farber and was appreciative of the boys' effort.
Those were just some of stories we heard. All
in two hours. Colin and Des saw the best in people. I know they consider
themselves lucky to be healthy enough to be able play baseball. I'm proud of them for choosing to
spend their Saturday morning helping a great cause. Thank you to the people of Westboro who stopped
during their weekly errands. Your
generosity is appreciated. You made my
Summer, and more importantly, you showed these boys what being a part of a
community is.
