The Incredible Mr. Ed

I've mentioned before that Amy's family, of Life in Amy's World, have been lifelong friends of our family. 

Her Dad, who we'll call "Mr. Ed", holds a very special place in my heart. 

The year was 1975.  We were living outside of Dayton, Ohio.  My Dad was in the Air Force and traveled a lot.  Amy's parents lived near by, and we spent a lot of time hanging out with Amy's mom, getting into mischief of one kind or another.

I enjoyed watching my cousins play baseball in the park on Saturday afternoons.  The Cincinnati Reds were on fire that year.  It was a glorious year to be a Reds fan, and to be living just outside of Dayton. 

One night, we stopped by the Kentucky Fried Chicken (as it was called then) to pick up dinner.  On the counter, the franchise owner had placed a giant bucket with a hole in the lid, and he had entry forms on the counter to win a pair of tickets to a Reds home game.

While Mom ordered and paid, I filled out an entry form and dropped it into the bucket.

I was shocked when an envelope arrived 2 weeks later, with my name on the front.  Inside was a pair of tickets to the game!  Let me tell you, these weren't just any seats.  These were the owner's own season ticket seats, and they were excellent!

My Dad was going to be out of town that day, so my Mom asked "Mr. Ed" if he would take me to the game.

THAT was a magical day. 

"Mr. Ed" picked me up and we drove down to Cinncinnati.

I still vividly remember the excitement on the field, the bright white of the uniforms, and "Mr. Ed", calmly sitting next to me, explaining all of the strategy on the field.  Why were pinch hitters put in?  Why would someone bunt a hit?  What was the strike zone, and why a batter would not swing on certain balls...  He even went so far as to explain why certain types of pitches were thrown to certain batters.

Such a patient guy.  My Dad frequently ran low on patience, and let me tell you, I appreciated the amount of patience he had for me.  Still do, as a matter of fact.  I never once got the impression that he was tired of listening to me talk, or had better things to do with his time.

I'm sure that he didn't think a whole lot of it, but let me tell you, it was a defining moment in my life.

I found a love of sports, and baseball in particular.  I found out the value of patience - baseball is a game of patience!  I will NEVER be a good baseball player.  I can't even hit a pinata with a baseball bat, but I really appreciate the effort and strategy that goes into baseball.

There's a deeper thing going on here - my parent's marriage was always a troubled one.  Growing up in that house was difficult, at best.  Being included in Amy's family was amazing.  Her parents had so much love for each other that they had room to share that love with other people who were not in their family.  What a great gift for me, to be able to share a little bit of that love.  And a model.  I was able to see what a "normal" family looked like, and discover what I wanted to search for in my own relationships when I grew up.

What a great gift I got from Amy's family.  A priceless gift.