In honor of TJ Sommers, I wore my softball jersey to college. I miss this young man as he has inspired me in countless ways.
June 18, 2009 seemed like just
another day- another day of softball for the Bethany team. The excitement and
intense energy of each player consumed the field as the game began. At the
crack of a bat, in center field, TJ Sommers ran as hard as he could and dove
for a fly ball that was coming towards him when he collided with another
player. To this day we don’t know exactly what he hit; the freak accident
violently fractured his skull in three places as he lost consciousness.
“TJ was severely injured today and
was rushed to the emergency room; his brain is rapidly swelling and his skull
fractured. I need to go see him”, were the words my dad told me on June 18, 2009.
TJ and my dad were teammates for many years; I grew up watching him play.
Watching TJ play was beyond exciting as he gave absolutely everything he had for his one love- softball. Every game he played
with such aggressiveness and passion; one thing about TJ is that he always gave
more than his best in every game
with no exceptions. I watched in admiration as he stole bases and dove
effortlessly across the dirt; a part of me wanted to do the same- to feel the
wind in my hair as I run and the adrenaline pumping as my body hits the ground
after diving head first. The adrenaline rush seems to last forever and keeps me
in the “zone”; fear is absent and nonexistent as soon as the game starts. The
memories I have of watching him play will exist forever in my mind; he inspired
me, even as a little girl, to compete with aggressiveness and to give all of
myself for the team; he showed me that one person can make a difference. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such
a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the
sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked
out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
In the hospital, after two days of
constant tests and life support, TJ left his loving and sorrowful family on
Earth to enter into the arms of his Creator; I believe he left this world and
entered into Heaven giving his all without holding anything back as he dove
into Heaven. He literally gave all he had for his Maker and his example
inspires others, at least me, to be the best that I can be; with God my best is
far greater than 100%!! After his death, according to his will, his organs were
removed to be distributed to those who were desperate; he gave hope to the
hopeless as parts of TJ are living in other humans today and keeping them alive
as he shared with them the gift of life. He no longer needed his organs since
he would receive a brand new body in Heaven; so why let his organs go to waste?
For as long as I knew TJ, the word that best described him was selfless; he was
the image of God Himself and I thank God every day for His presence which is
made so real through other people. I still miss TJ and at times am brought to
my knees in surrender after shedding many tears of questioning “why”,
penetrating to my heart. Every time I step foot onto the softball field I see
the relentless competitor TJ was and am inspired.
“Three strikes, you’re out” are the
most dreaded words in softball. The reason I know this is because I grew up
around softball; my dad competed in softball leagues ever since I can remember
and we traveled to softball tournaments to watch his team compete for the
trophy; I remember sitting in the bleachers watching the competitiveness of
each game and intensity of each moment. My twin sister and I were my dad’s
personal cheerleaders; every time the ball came near him we screamed and
shouted- the excitement radiating throughout the field! My dad was my hero- the
person I admired and longed to be like. What I loved most about him was the
energy he brought to each game by giving ALL he had; no matter if the game
looked hopeless he continued to do anything he could to turn the game around.
Something else I learned was to not be afraid to get “down and dirty”; if
you’re not dirty you’re not really playing!! This quote personifies exactly
what I mean: “A softball player is a girl who, once steps onto the field, is
transformed from ‘daddy’s-little-girl’ into a fierce, unrelenting competitor
who will stop at nothing to win a
game; characteristically with dirt all across her face, ratted sweaty hair,
bloody knees, and dirt stained socks and uniform.” Now, I know my mom was not
fond of this idea since she had to wash the clothes; it was quite a chore to
try and get those stained, torn, and muddy clothes clean! Watching each game
inspired me to always give my all- my utmost best in every situation no matter what the cost.
To
me, there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere of a softball tournament:
sunshine and dirt, blood and sweat, uniforms and cleats, friendship and
rivalry, adrenaline and intensity, and of course, diving! The feeling which
overcomes my body when I enter this place is beyond description and gives me a
confidence I never knew I had. I witnessed true teamwork which is a rare yet
beautiful thing; softball is like the human body in that it takes all of the parts to work together in
order to make a successful team. Homeostasis requires all body parts to be
healthy; when one part suffers the
rest will eventually do likewise, making no role insignificant. What struck me
the most was how the team rooted for each other; unhealthy competition between
team mates was replaced with encouragement of all kinds. This was the true
image of God being made known on the softball field; God can truly use anyone anywhere for His glory.
Everywhere we go we are witnesses for Christ; people are watching our every
move we make even at a softball game.
Softball and sports in general will
always be a part of me- however, I have found that they DON’T define me; in
fact, nothing of this world defines me. My value is found in Christ alone- He
is my Refuge and my Strength. For so long I looked to the things of this world
to define me; however, I have surrendered my plans for my life to God which is
a very painful process as what I thought was best for me and my wildest dreams
were not at all in line with God’s plans. I’ve realized that on my own I am
nothing and my plans and dreams are meaningless; however, when I surrender to
God, the unthinkable happens- dreams I could NEVER even begin to imagine become
reality; my God is insane and I LOVE Him!
I miss TJ terribly, especially during softball season, but I know that one day in the future I will be able to give him a huge hug in Heaven; maybe we can play softball together!! ;)
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