After a few months of wondering,
followed by a few weeks of waiting,
only to be followed by a
few more months of forgetting...
Could it be that our mailbox was
holding a wish come true...??
Turns out...
the answer was YES!
the answer was YES!
When you are a newly minted 11 year-old,
there are pretty many amazing, real-world issues
to keep you occupied like:
Discovering WWE, is it real or fake??
Choosing the 'just-right' Halloween costume,
...Learning to fish,
...Learning to fish,
... Playing video games...
and we can't forget about
the daily grind of being a
hard-working fifth grader.
There's much to be done.
There's much to be done.
Being an active kid
can also help to take your mind off
all the wondering and waiting
surrounding a certain special delivery...
A special delivery that truthfully, may
or may not ever come to be.
But...
a boy can hope.
Just like a boy can dream
about one day
about one day
hitting the baseball over the fence
or
hope to play in the
big leagues ...
big leagues ...
This story all began when we
found a small collection of
baseball cards at our
baseball cards at our
local thrift store.
Our son Will is a baseball fan.
Full stop. Period. End of story.
He has loved baseball for
almost all of his eleven years...
He loves watching it.
He loves playing it.
He loves the stats and the strategy....
He just loves baseball.
Our son Will is a baseball fan.
Full stop. Period. End of story.
He has loved baseball for
almost all of his eleven years...
He loves watching it.
He loves playing it.
He loves the stats and the strategy....
He just loves baseball.
During the summer months,
when we are not at the baseball field,
when we are not at the baseball field,
we become treasure hunters.
Will has a select few items
he likes to look for on our
summertime trips to the
second-hand stores...
Will's short list includes: old coins,
baseball cards, geodes or
other fun rocks and minerals.
I bring the kids along
on trips to the local thrift shops
for something fun to do.
Thrift shop hunting
comes in handy
comes in handy
especially on rainy days
in June and July
when the pool is closed
and we are running out of
exciting things to keep us entertained...
The thrift shop never disappoints.
We find vintage records with great artwork
old-fashioned metal lunch boxes,
crazy board games,
1970's fashions... there is always something
to put a smile on our faces.
This past summer,
Will found a collection
of older baseball cards.
Some of the cards were keepers, a few notable players,
including a few Nolan Ryan cards.
Once Will discovered the
Nolan Ryan cards and
Nolan Ryan cards and
began researching his career
and baseball stats,
and baseball stats,
he was thoroughly excited.
Will decided he wanted
to write Nolan Ryan a letter...
At this age,
Will is all about signed baseball cards.
At this age,
Will is all about signed baseball cards.
Will asked,
"Do you think if I write to him, he'll write back??"
"Ummm..." (long pause from me)
As a mama, who didn't want to
dash her boy's high hopes,
I tried to be optimistic...
as I said:
"We could try, but we don't really
know where to send the letter..."
Will went on...
His enthusiasm was bursting
from his bright eyes and big smile...
"I could send him these cards and...
he could send them back...SIGNED!!"
"Wow... "
I said "That is a pretty big request buddy."
I had to let him know, while this was a
fun idea, but it might not work out.
"We can try it buddy,
but there's always a chance the
cards might never come back..."
He sat quietly...thinking over the
risk versus the reward...
He thought and thought...
When I heard his feet
quickly thumping up the stairs
to get paper,
I knew instantly what he had decided.
Will wrote his letter...
Starting with a solid first-draft like any good
soon-to-be fifth grader would write.
He next wrote his final draft that
included his very
own Knothole baseball card,
signed: Will Perry in his best handwriting.
I encouraged Will to include a
self-addressed stamped envelope...
just in case... you never know.
(I didn't want to rain on any parade...
We had to be prepared to make this happen.)
I explained to Will,
"If this letter makes it to Mr. Nolan Ryan,
we need to make sure it's easy for him
to return it to you... and that's a BIG "if"...
It's the polite thing to do when
you are making a request of someone..."
Next, came my role in
this big idea...
The Mom Detective Agency
had to open for business.
I had to find
where to send this
magical, hope-filled letter...
No pressure...none at all.
I wanted to give his letter the best possible
chance of getting where it needed to go...
After a full evening of what I can only
describe as FBI-style tracking...
and good old-fashioned mom detective work,
I came up with an address that would
have to do...
Will addressed his letter
and off we went to the
post office.
As Will slid his envelope full
thrift store baseball cards into the box,
I said a quick little prayer...
'Please let this turn out happy
for him.'
After mailing the letter,
We talked
and talked,
and talked some more,
and wondered...
Will asked
all about the journey
this letter might take and
how long it would take to get to Texas...
Would the letter fly in a plane...?
or go on a truck...?
What kind of mailbox did I think
Nolan Ryan might have?
(I had no idea how much thought
he was putting into this venture)
I tried to temper his eagerness with
gentle reminders about
how busy Nolan Ryan must be...
and also... sneaking in the possibility that the
letter might not come back to us, not ever.
Then, more questions came...
"When... ??
"When do you think the letter will come??"
We had a few weeks of
vigilant mailbox watching.
At first,
Will hustled out to the mailbox
every. single. day.
He'd come running back to me
holding a handful of mail,
minus the anticipated
letter from Texas.
Will would cheerfully say:
letter from Texas.
Will would cheerfully say:
"Not today mom,
but probably tomorrow..."
Those summer days turned into weeks,
and Will slowly stopped asking
about when I thought the letter
might return to us.
Will's days soon became filled with
back to school supplies,
and his own fall-ball baseball games...
Before we knew it,
it was time to carve pumpkins
and go sledding.
The letter...full of hope and beloved
baseball cards
had faded into the background.
Then, it happened...
one cold January day...it appeared,
a letter...
THE envelope.
It was there!! ...in the mailbox,
in our mailbox!!
in our mailbox!!
A long awaited letter for
for a baseball lovin' boy.
Was this truly from a
real baseball hero...?
It seemed to be...
The envelope was folded and creased,
written in pencil,
the work of a young south paw.
The envelope was folded and creased,
written in pencil,
the work of a young south paw.
Sitting atop a stack of boring everyday mail,
was a genuine Texas post-marked,
self-addressed stamped envelope for Will.
From one baseball enthusiast to another...
From a young little league pitcher, full of baseball dreams
to a baseball legend...
The letter really came back.
And inside...
Three signed Nolan Ryan
baseball cards.
It was a baseball wish granted for Will...
his big idea had really worked.
It was a happy ending...
or maybe it's more of a happy beginning...
either way...it is certainly happy.
or maybe it's more of a happy beginning...
either way...it is certainly happy.
As 'Opening Day' arrives and
a brand new baseball season
is upon us,
a brand new baseball season
is upon us,
let's all remember to dream BIG...
swing for the fences,
and never shy away from
brushes with greatness...
You just never know when your
dreams might come true!
Play Ball!!
***
To Nolan Ryan,
A heartfelt thank you.
Your kindness in returning the autographed
baseball cards, was such a gift.
Our son will always remember
how you took the time to
answer his letter.
It means the world to him
that you replied.
It means the world to him
that you replied.
Your example,
both on and off the baseball field is
what makes you a baseball legend.
As a mother to a boy with big
baseball dreams, I thank you.
Sincerely,
Karri,
Mom to Will,
Some of the photos from this post were from a baseball birthday party.
If you need any fun baseball themed party ideas...
there is no shortage of super-fun ideas here.
I have some to share:
Baseball Birthday Party
If you need any fun baseball themed party ideas...
there is no shortage of super-fun ideas here.
I have some to share:
Baseball Birthday Party
That's amazing! Your son will remember that kindness forever.
ReplyDeleteOh, Rebecca... I agree... I was not sure we had sent it to the right address, so to get a reply... It was simply amazing!!
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