I have heard it said that God has a sense of humor. I think that’s true. Two catch days in a row have now included St Louis Cardinals fans.
Is God trying to tell me something? Do I need to switch team loyalty?
I didn’t know day 11 would bring such a baseball crisis.
Anyway, day 11 brought a game of catch with my friend and United Methodist clergy colleague Rev. Matt Swisher who serves Grace UMC in Kokomo. I am thankful that he and his wife, Katie, were willing to drive down to Westfield to meet me halfway between us at a random park off of 31.
I was glad to see my friends!
Matt wore a Cardinals cap, which I expected, and an Indianapolis Clowns baseball shirt. I appreciated the connection with the old Negro Leagues Baseball team based in Indianapolis for several years. I don’t think the NLB receives enough attention, and I don’t think Indianapolis appreciates this history enough.
If you’re ever in Kansas City, do yourself a favor and visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum at the corner of 18th and Vine. It’s a great museum that shares important baseball and American history!
Matt serves Grace UMC in downtown Kokomo. I’m glad Matt and Katie have been family friends for many years. That’s one of the gifts of 30 days of catch. In general, most people aren’t intentional about getting together with friends out of town.
Planning my month of catch has given me the opportunity to invite friends to gather for a game of catch. It was nice to be able to welcome both Matt and Katie to today’s game of catch. Plus, I eventually noticed Katie was dressed for the occasion with her “There’s no crying in baseball” shirt and her Cardinals earrings! I was impressed!
I learned that Matt grew up in central Illinois in a city that was divided. Being in central Illinois, half of the town cheered for the Cubs upstate and the other half for the Cardinals downstate.
Since his dad grew up in southern Illinois, they were St. Louis Cardinals fans. Matt has played in different baseball and softball leagues over the years, including a softball league in seminary. I didn’t know seminaries had those.
I may have made a different decision on my seminary if the admissions department had advertised a softball league along with biblical studies!
Katie and Matt have two young ones at home, Hannah, a fourth grader, and Henry, a first grader. I’m hopeful that one meeting for a game of catch for a great cause will lead to many more meetings with both of our families. Maybe we’ll have a giant family game of catch. It was great to see my friends play a game of catch and raise some funds to help families in need! Baseball, food, and friends. Sounds like a game-winning combination!
A quick update on the financial fundraiser for Gleaners. As of this afternoon, we are over $15,000. My goal is $15,420. We’re almost there!
In fact, maybe we should increase the goal to $20,000. Is that too much? Why not? Let’s keep it going!
If you feel moved to share a financial donation for my Gleaners fundraiser, use the link below.
https://give.gleaners.org/fundraiser/4739257
Get outside. Play catch. Find something that brings joy and a smile to your face.
Thank you for supporting Gleaners and following my 30 days of catch!