Today is a special one in this 30-day journey of catch! It is my youngest son’s 4th birthday, and I played catch with my dad, Wayne.
My two boys, Zeke and Luke, and I all played catch with my dad or grandpa to them. Three generations of Landry guys playing baseball! It doesn’t get any better than that, really. As I have been sharing these last several weeks, baseball brings all kinds of people together, including family.
My dad was born on the south side of Chicago before his family moved to northwest Indiana where I was born. His father, who I never had the chance to meet since he passed many years before I was born, worked in the steel mills on the southside and eventually in Gary in northwest Indiana.
I remember my dad sharing that his father would make the drive from more rural northwest Indiana all the way to Gary every day to put food on the table and provide for his kids. Like his father before him, my dad has always worked hard, rarely, if ever, missing work unless he had surgery or something, and was always committed. Both of my parents have always had a strong yet loving work ethic to support their family, something I have always been grateful for.
Growing up where he did, my dad and his family grew up Bears fans. I still have a small stuffed animal bear with the “C” helmet that my dad bought at a game when I was little. Now, you might be thinking, isn’t this blog about baseball, not football? This is true, and baseball does run in my family, maybe more so than football.
My grandfather played minor league baseball in Illinois back in the early 1950s. Some of that history has been lost, though. We can’t seem to find what team he played for or even the specific years, but knowing that he enjoyed baseball is still meaningful. Of course, he also grew up a Chicago Cubs fan, so we hold that in common too.
My dad is a hard worker who has labored hard his whole life. Growing up as a mechanic, he eventually decided to open his own mechanic shop when I was little. He’s been on his feet every day working on cars making sure people can get to work, see family, or go on vacation. As a result, it can be challenging for my dad to walk with bad knees and sore, well, everything. That’s probably what made this game of catch extra special.
I tried to encourage my dad to sit down on a chair and still play catch, but his Chicagoland, northwest Indiana stubbornness kicked in, and he said that he was fine and he’ll stand and play catch. He did play softball for many years and was even the softball president for a time. Part of his responsibility was to be in charge of mowing the field, something he enjoyed doing, which is probably why he mows his lawn often today.
This afternoon he stood there the whole time playing our game of catch with his two grandsons and son. I’m sure it was challenging for him to be on his feet, even for 10 minutes, but he wanted to support the cause of Gleaners and my 30 days of catch challenge. We all enjoyed our game of catch in our backyard, even with somewhat tired and occasionally grouchy kids yelling, “Throw to me, throw it here, harder, faster, me, me.”
My dad joked that I needed to write in my blog that he threw it with some heat. Before we finished our game, he told me to back up, then a little more, and just one more step back. Then we threw it back and forth with more distance and heat, but we didn’t drop those last few balls. He can still throw it with some heat, even though he hasn’t played softball for years.
It was a lot of fun to play a simple game of catch as a family! We shared several throws, dropped a few balls, worried about Grandpa doing too much, laughed a little, and were glad to have shared this time on Saturday afternoon as we celebrated Luke’s birthday.
Here is an update on the financial fundraiser for Gleaners. We are at $17,234. Thank you to everyone who has donated, played catch with me, and shared my fundraiser with others! I’m overwhelmed with the generosity of so many who helped to shatter my original goal of $15,420.
It’s official! My new goal is $20,000. 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
Also, don’t forget to invite family and friends to join me for my Final Day of Catch Party behind the main church building near the playgrounds on Thursday, August 31st, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. We will welcome Rowdie, the awesome mascot from the Indianapolis Indians, and will give out free popsicles. Join us for the celebration!
Here is the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1226246214719825/?ref=newsfeed
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!