Thursday; July 31

Last weekend, my Texas Rangers played the Atlanta Braves.  In an odd way, this kind of a bookend of my life.  As a child growing up in the southeastern part of the U. S.  the Braves were our team.  No, I am not talking about the Ted Turner version of the Braves, but the ones who had come from Milwaukee and settled in Atlanta.  My first live game was in Atlanta, and my heroes were the Braves.  During that era, Hank Aaron was the heart and soul of the team.  The guy who would eclipse Babe Ruth’s home run record was one of my favorites.  As I read some of Hammerin’ Hank’s quotes there were a couple of gems that caught my attention.  In one he said, “It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball.  I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”.  Yet, in a more practical comment he observed, “My motto was always to keep swinging.  Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”.  How does a guy from Alabama set the all-time home run record during the Civil Rights Era in Atlanta – you just keep on swinging. 

If we are looking for some wisdom to get us thought life, this might be it.  No matter what is happening, keep on swinging.  In the good times and bad times, keep on swinging.  Whether things are going our way or going downhill, keep showing up and keep on swinging!

What’s going on in our lives?  Do we need to just keep on swinging?

Think About It!


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