October 27

Isaac had another scrimmage this evening. It was a fun enough game to watch; it was a lovely day, and the teams were reasonably well-matched and had comparable abilities overall.

In the end, the Spartans wound up losing in the bottom half of the final inning, and I braced myself for a long ride home with a bummed pre-teen because, well, Isaac can be quite critical of his own performance. So I watched him emerge from the dugout and head in our direction. And as he got close enough to hear me, I asked if he'd had fun. And waited for the answer.

And much to my surprise, he responded with a cheerful "yeah." Then he laid down in the grass (which, to its credit, was quite lush and carpet-like) and closed his eyes and remarked about how soft it was. And I released a breath. So today, I'm thankful for pleasant surprises. And for maturity. Because after all, there will be more scrimmages and games for this boy of mine. And I'm glad that he realizes that truth.