BASEBALL MOM STATUS ( On Gratitude ) Really COOL stuff my kid, David, #44, doesnt understand (yet). My Son Plays Baseball Last Friday I had the honor to meet and talk to Dean Whites mother and sister. The best part (for me) was having the opportunity to sincerely thank Mrs. White, in person, for being the mother of the man who has contributed a substantial amount of money to Crown Point little league baseball. My gratitude is, by the way, overflowing due to the fact that my two sons, David and Alex OToole, have been the recipients, among thousands of kids, of Dean Whites generous contribution to the Crown Point Indiana Community. I was preparing to seat my family on the bleachers for the second game of the day. It had been a long week of baseball tournaments; not to mention having to drag around the two younger siblings of my baseball player. Two ladies took the seats behind us and one of them asked what the tournament was about. I attempted to give her a short version of the game brackets, leading up to the winning team going to the World Series. She mentioned she had brought her mother (the lady sitting beside her) to surprise her brother, who was being presented an appreciation award for some volunteer work he had done. I didnt catch his name, but I thought it was one of the coaches. To be honest, I was just a tired mom having small, polite talk with two other women. I walked to the concession stand to fetch my two younger children and I noticed that a couple of men wearing an official Cal Ripken Jr. shirt were holding a plaque. When I returned to my seat I asked the two women the name of the man that was being presented with the award. My brain then connected the dots and I realized what was taking place. The two ladies introduced themselves as the sister and mother of Dean White. I felt truly honored to have the opportunity to say, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything your son has contributed to our baseball community. Weve all heard of this billionaire who has donated a huge amount of money to Cal Ripken little league, in our small suburban community of Crown Point, Indiana. As with any rumors, however, many facts are slightly blurred. Most parents who have kids in little league, like myself, have always thought it was just one donation from some ill eighty-year old billionaire on a ventilator; not true at all. Dean White looks to be in his late fifties, early sixties. He and his sister played little league baseball on the same field where my sons now play. Five decades later, Dean White has given and is still giving back to his childhood community in the most generous and loving act of kindness; by giving kids like mine the best facilities available, where they can participate in programs and activities that parents like myself can be proud of and afford. Mrs. White (Dean Whites mother) is a sweet lady with kind eyes and grace. She shows humility in her presence and tone of voice. She looked like any other sweet grandmother attending her grandsons baseball game. You would never pick her out of the crowd as the mother of a billionaire. Graceful is the word I would use to describe her. True to my character I asked her if she had any advice On Being A Mother -- she smiled sweetly, but our conversation was interrupted by one of the men wearing a Cal Ripken golf shirt who came over and asked her to follow him. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to thank her for her own contribution to our community, and to my children, by being the woman, the mother, who raised a generous and thoughtful human being; the same characteristics I am attempting to instill in my three children. As a mother, at the top of my list of priorities is to raise my children to be of benefit to our society. How many of us have had the opportunity to thank those personally responsible for having a positive impact in our lives, in our childrens lives? Not many. We often hold our own jaded opinions concerning those who have what we do not or may never be able to attain. In addition, the opinion of the mainstream media has conditioned people to hold certain reservations about the 1%, even though were all striving to reach financial goals that are better than our current position. Dean White is unlike most of the Rockefellers. Like many of the 1% hes just a good guy trying to do good deeds with the means he has. Dean White was once a kid who played baseball, just like my boys are now, in his hometown, Crown Point, Indiana. And now, he is giving back to his community where it matters most. Thankfully there are these moments, like the type of situation I found myself in, when those who do have give to us, in one form or another, and we are there to personally receive and benefit from their generosity. These are the moments when we should give credit where credit is due, and a simple thank you will do. LRAEBROWN
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 17:03:18 +0000
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