Pitching Against Time ~ Closing

Greetings Dear Reader,

My Braves have won the National League East.  The regular season is winding down and the October classic is in the wings.  The season will end with a victor and many who wish they had won.  Baseball will sleep until the warm air of Spring draws the players out of hiding and new gloves are broken in, oiled, and prepared.

Some will not see Spring training.  Some will throw their last pitch some time over the next few weeks.  The battle against time catches up with us all and we have to stop playing the timeless game.  The sun sets on our journey and the only thing left is our memories and the love of the game.

We are all pitching against time Dear Reader.  At some point, the game will end and our season will be over.  Our career will finish.  What we have put into the record books is all that will remain.  Like baseball, every pitch is counted.  Every moment is noted and recorded.  All that will matter is if we pitched well.  Did we throw with love, grace, mercy, and kindness?

Every moment is one where we choose what to throw.  One can feel the weariness in the world as we hurl insults, hatred, and evil with little love for the things that matter.  What we must serve up with every pitch is the love of the Father, channeled through our thoughts, words, and actions.  What must be ours is the certainty that we do so in hope of others seeing the love of the Father in us and through us.

My arm is tired and I can no longer bring the heat.  I can, however, still deal out love with every pitch.  I can read the signs and hurl kindness, slenderness, and compassion in every moment.  I can choose to pitch well until my final inning no matter what the opposition does.  The Father will give us the love and grace to do so if we allow it.  Perhaps I can use these aching old words to push the sun back up into the sky and give us one more day of summer.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Pitching Against Time ~ Bottom of the Ninth

Greetings Dear Reader,

If we are being completely forthcoming, we never pitch against a clock in the game.  Baseball is not governed by time.  We do, however, reach the final inning.  It is usually the bottom of the ninth.  The game is always linear.  It always moves forward in time.   I once went to bed at 11:00 PM and awakened at 4:00 AM to care for my infant Son.  The same game was still on.

There is never a tie in baseball.  There is always an end; a final opportunity.  There is always the last bit of time to play out the final pitches.  Any story that begins with “It was the bottom of the ninth,” creates instant drama.  Whatever flows from this has already signified that there is something more to come.  Usually, the idea is hope.

When it comes to life, it is the idea that even at the bottom of the ninth, it is not too late to make a difference.  There is always still time to change the outcome.  No one else may believe it or believe in you.  It is never too late to make a difference.  When pitchers reach this point, they must reach deep within themselves to hold off the other team for one last inning.  In life, it is dealing with whatever keeps us from love, kindness, and grace.

There is nothing that assails us that is beyond the love of Christ.  Nothing that we battle is lonely and solitary when we invite Jesus to stand with us.  Every moment, every pitch is a new opportunity to deal in love and grace with others.  We cannot control how our opposition will respond.  We are in complete control of our choices to love and hope. 

Eventually, Dear Reader, the final out will be called and the game will end.  For some of us that will be extra innings.  Some will end on account of rain with the game already official.  What will matter is how we loved.  How we dealt out kindness and grace from the mound is what matters.  We must work together to do so in every pitch; in every moment. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Pitching Against Time ~ Bang the Drum Slowly

Greetings Dear Reader,

Every inning, game, and season ends.  A player never really knows when he is done or when baseball will be done with him.   In perspective, adults get to play a game and get paid to do it as professionals.  The minimum salary for a professional baseball player in 2019 is $550,000.  That, however, is not the point.  People who love playing baseball will tell you that it is the game. 

The very best players that have ever played have faced the winter of their careers.  The body ages, pitching arms ache, legs grow tired of running.  The season will end for every player eventually.  The same is true for our journey.  Baseball and life are linear in time.  Everything moves forward and everyone knows there will be an end.

We get a limited amount of time to be what we are meant to be.  Love is the ground rule in every venue.  Kindness and grace are there to help us show our stuff.  It is in the idea of love as the eternal unending force that we are to take the field, play the game, and live out our time in the game.

I may never see a professional salary in my endeavors.  I might never be in the place where I can master my profession.  What I can do is love everyone in my path with all the skill that I possess.  I can write, speak, and work with love.  I can play and enjoy my leisure time loving others. 

We can agree to do this together Dear Reader.  We can help each other along.  We can love each other no matter what the circumstances and let others see that as our prime mover.  Eventually, we will play our final inning and the only thing that will matter in the record books was how much love we delivered with each inning.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Pitching Against Time ~ Our Limited Knowledge

Greetings Dear Reader,

Part of the intrigue of baseball is the mystery of what pitch is coming.  Those who understand this limitation of knowledge realize that gaining more knowledge will yield an advantage.  Studying a pitcher can reveal small tells that telegraph what pitch is coming.  A different angle of the elbow can reveal that the pitcher is setting up for a curveball.  Babe Ruth was a pitcher who telegraphed his fastball because he stuck out his tongue.

Knowledge of these tells yields understanding of what is coming giving the batter an advantage.  A great pitcher learns his own tells and uses them to fool the batter.  As with so many things, the battle is waged in the mind first.  In the movie, Trouble with the Curve, we learn that a curveball makes a distinct sound.  We also see how important knowledge of the pitcher is as it yields an advantage.

The interpersonal play between a father and his daughter is also vital to this film.  At one point, when she is passing judgment on her father for his absence in her life, he says, “You don’t know half of what you think you know.”  Later he reveals the depth of her lack of knowledge of the true situation in their lives.  His actions that she judges as abandonment were to protect her.

We think that we understand why people do what they do.  We do not.  We may have a modicum of knowledge, but rarely do we know as much as we assume we know.  Rarely do we know enough to really understand why someone is where he or she is.  We never know enough to transcend our obligation to be loving and kind.  We never have enough on the other person to forego mercy and grace.

No matter how well I read the tells of another person, they do not tell me enough for me to fail to show love, grace, kindness, and mercy.  Every human needs for me to hurl kindness rather than judgment.  My pitch should always be love.  As I pitch against time my opportunities to love others diminish.  Sooner or later I will reach the last inning and all that will matter was how I served up opportunities for others to see the love of Christ shown through grace, mercy, and kindness.  Those, Dear Reader, are the pitches that will be remembered long after we retire.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Pitching Against Time ~ Singularly Divergent

Greetings Dear Reader,

Last evening one of my good friends asked me why the baseball metaphor was running this series.  It was a good question and I will share the answer with you.  I promise not to get too mathematical. 

I think that baseball is the perfect metaphor for following Christ.  Every moment we make a choice.  We choose in the moment whether we look for Christ and his expression of love for us or not.  We choose by our thoughts, words, and actions if we are going to reflect that love.

Here is an excerpt from my book, Sheetrock on the Road, that expresses the flow of binary choices that make up baseball:

The pitcher carefully rotates to get the grip essential to the chosen pitch.  Carefully adjusting his footing, he looks in one more time to get his bearings.  The stretch and delivery can be painfully ponderous or lightning fast.  Whether swift or sultry the sphere is launched and the batter must choose.  Like all of life, he has little time to decide but he must decide to swing or not. From that single binary choice flow a multitude of linear binary choices.  If he does not swing is it a ball or a strike?  If he swings is it a hit or a miss?  If it is a hit is it fair or foul?  Is it on the ground or in the air?  Is it a fly ball or line drive?  Is it fieldable or out of reach?  Is it a home run?

The time from pitch to home run is a matter of seconds, and every pitch has that potential.  Each ball thrown could end up sailing over the fence into the glove or head of a waiting fan.  It does not matter which team hits the home run everyone loves to see it.  In every game, every pitch from every pitcher has the same potential.  Whether a curveball, breaking ball, or fastball the binary choices unfold with the same potential conclusion.  Every batter has the chance to reach that potential, even pitchers. 

The point is that baseball is about potential.  From atop the mound, the pitcher unfolds a potential that reaches the entire world.  Every spring the potential released by the first pitch from every pitcher’s mound emanates the possibility that dreams can be realized.  Every player on the field started out as a boy in the bleachers.  Each successive pitch is renewed hope for the next hit, the next catch, the next home run. 

Baseball has changed drastically since I was a boy.  Too often it is about the money.  Grown men are willing to disappoint millions of fans over money.  They all need to remember that they are living a dream that few realize.  They are getting paid well to play a game.  With that privilege comes a great responsibility.  The players of today are setting the standards of fair play for millions of young players who look to them as an example.  Every player holds in his glove the hopes of a coming generation.

This is why baseball is sacred.  From it, I learned about potential and honest play.   My Grandfather knew there were life lessons in the box seats at Atlanta Stadium and he diligently passed them along to me with a fair supply of hotdogs and Coca-Cola^®.  You never boo the opposition as they are honored combatants in a game to be counted friends again after the final inning.  No matter how sure you are that the call is wrong, you never for any reason mistreat the umpires.  The umpire’s judgment is sacred and final.  Even if the call is wrong you never show disrespect.  You always cheer a great play even if it is accomplished by the other team.  You do not leave your empty cup, hot boat, or popcorn box in the stands.  You are nice to the vendors because they work hard so you can enjoy the game. 

The most important lesson though is on the sacred spot call the pitcher’s mound.  Poised there is that most crafty temporary enemy: the pitcher.  He is winding up and the next pitch is imminent.  In a moment he will hurl the sphere at the imaginary box called the strike zone.  The linear binary will unfold even if no one but the pitcher acts.  It will pass too quickly for the distracted to see.  This is the acutely simple definition of life. Like every pitch, every moment has new potential but only if we choose to stay in the box, look at what is coming, take a measured risk, and most importantly - swing. 

I must see the binary linear moments as constantly renewed opportunities to do what is right and good.  As we pitch against time Dear Reader, we must understand that as each moment passes, we have one less opportunity to make the right choice.  We have diminishing chances to choose in the moment.  This is the reason it is so vital to choose well in every moment. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Pitching Against Time ~ Go the Distance

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the ways in which pitching has changed is that the starting pitcher rarely finishes a game.  Everything centers around pitch count and fatigue.  In some ways, it is wise to take the long view of a season and a career for a pitching arm.  Still, there is something special about a pitcher going the distance; pitching all nine innings.

I recall seeing my favorite pitchers get into trouble.  The pitching coach tells the relief pitchers to warm up.  You hope that the pitcher gets out of the jam.  You yearn for him to strike out the side and leave the base runners dangling.  Sometimes he does.  Sometimes he is taken out of the game.  Still, you long to see your favorite pitcher go the distance.

Too often, we do not root for each other to go the distance.  We often only see the jam someone is in and forget that they are our team.  Whether it is faith, community, or humanity, everyone is our team.  We lose nothing when we pull for others to succeed.  When others are weary or in trouble, we need to be the ones rooting for them to get out of it.  We need to be the ones longing for everyone to recover, heal, and even prosper.

We do not have to wish for foolish or wrong efforts to succeed, but we must be very careful of how we judge this.  When in doubt, we should want people to go the distance for good.  We should be showing the love and kindness that encourages and supports others.  We can show this in simple kindness and support. 

If I am to follow Christ well, I need to understand that uplifting others never diminishes me.  It empowers me to follow more closely.  It demonstrates that love matters to me.  It is evidence that we are walking the path with others and encouraging them to go the distance Dear Reader.  In pitching against time, we must go the distance in being loving and kind to others no matter how tired our arm is.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

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Pitching Against Time ~ Ease His Pain

Greetings Dear Reader,

In another baseball movie, Field of Dreams, we see the story unfold of an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond by plowing under his cornfield.  The mystical adventure is about faith and second chances.  It is also about fathers and forgiveness.

The first time I watched this movie an Oscar Wilde quote came to the surface of my mind.  “Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older, they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.”  As the movie and I have aged, I have seen just why I resonate so deeply with it.  I thought that I had dealt with my father issues but have over the last year discovered, and interacted with an entirely new layer.

So many of us carry things that our parents put on us.  We struggle to lay them down but it is difficult.  We are burdened by them and they work for good or ill depending upon how we carry them.  The root to peace with these things is forgiveness.  The flower of peace, however, is much harder to find.  It requires more than forgiveness.  It requires that we reach the place where we honor our parents.  It requires that we see past the circumstance and behavior to the needs of the person.

I am talking about deep forgiveness.  I am talking about finding ways to ease the pain of those who hurt us.  Again, the idea of baseball is paramount here.  Every moment in the game is made up of new opportunity to do the right thing.  Every pitch is the beginning of the binary choice to act or not act.  Every encounter with those who need the full flower of our forgiveness is the same. 

Following Christ is about easing the pain of others.  I truly believe that most of what we do wrong is in response to pain and fear.  When love is employed it can cast out that pain and fear.  It is in showing love to those who we feel do not deserve it that we can find the deepest peace.  We might also ease their pain.  We may succeed in easing our own. 

The idea, Dear Reader, is to love so deeply that fear and pain lose their power.  As I try to employ this, it hurts and forces me to confront the things I would not.  It is, however, the path that seems to yield the peace I need.  Thank you for your company on this journey.

Prayer of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, the truth;

Where there is doubt, the faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Pitching Against Time ~ Gopher Ball

Greetings Dear Reader,

For those who do not know this antiquated term, it is a pitch that his hit for a home run.  It is usually one wherein the pitch did not do as it was supposed to do.  It is a curveball that hangs or a fastball that is too low and outside.  I think that every pitcher remembers the first time he serves up a Gopher Ball.  Mine was a Slider that did not.

I struck out the next two batters but the overreaching guilt at having given up a homerun plagued me.  As I sat there whilst my team batted, it was lost on me that we rallied and scored three runs.  The coach saw my face and knew what I was doing.  He came over to me and said, “Nothing you can do in the entirety of the world can take back that pitch.  Every pitcher experiences this.  What you have to decide right now is if the pitches of the past or going to own or inform or infect your future pitching. 

I wish I could say that I shook it off and did great.  I did not.  I was rattled and overthought every pitch for the next inning.  I walked three and gave up to hits.  I recovered by the next time I was due to pitch but the lesson would not be as real had I not failed there.  Too often, we allow the past to infect our future instead of informing it.  We let that which we cannot ever change have sway over that which we are creating in the moment. 

When we stand there to pitch against time, we must realize that every moment is a chance to get it right.  It must be informed by our past successes and failures.  It must never be infected by them.  I cannot change anything I have done that is wrong.  I can only resolve to not do it again, love more deeply, and follow Christ more closely. 

As I sit with my fingers hovering above the keyboard, searching for the next words, I realize that I caress the nodes on the F and J keys much like I used to the seems on a baseball.  The comfort of the moment is that no one else decides what I will choose.  The call is mine to make.  I will either send out something quality or leave it hanging.  Every day I start with these moments of choosing to let the past inform but not infect my words, my day.  You can too Dear Reader.  If we work together to pitch against time in this way, the journey will be that much richer.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Pitching Against Time ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Before I lose you, this is not all about baseball.  Hang on whilst I get through a little bit of celebration and I will get to the point.  My beloved Atlanta Braves have clinched a playoff berth this year no matter what else happens.  In celebration, I have been watching baseball movies I love. 

The movie, For Love of the Game, is one of my favorites.  It includes a remarkable moment voiced by Vin Scully that I call Pitching Against Time.   You can see it in the link, but here is the text:

" …you get the feeling that Billy Chapel isn't pitching against left-handers, he isn't pitching against pinch hitters, he isn't pitching against the Yankees. He's pitching against time. He's pitching against the future, against age, and even when you think about his career, against ending. And tonight, I think he might be able to use that aching old arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us one more day of summer."

Last weekend I enjoyed watching the Braves win against the Nationals.  I have tracked their excellent season and remembered that we are all in the same place.  We are all pitching against time.  I am going to use baseball as the backdrop for some thoughts on that over the next few days.  As September turns its eyes to October, we see the chill in the northern air and the leaves begin to splendor as they catch fire. 

Amidst this will be the few teams that struggle to get to the World Series.  They will fight for their place on that real field of dreams that has no clock but still a finite set of opportunities.  We too have a finite set of opportunities.  We too have a limited journey.  Please walk with me as I try to pitch against time for a bit and perhaps find that the warmth of the Son can endure the coldest winter.  Your thoughts and questions are always welcome Dear Reader.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn

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