When You Felt Alone Who Was Their For You

We all have had times where we felt alone. Often times we have not been physically alone, rather we have just felt like their were few people who cared about us in our time of need.

When my first wife and I got divorced I had shared custody of my children. I was glad of it, our split was mostly amicable, I had my children half the time, they were good kids, I had a good job, I would never lay claim to having it bad.

Never, Ever. It could have been much worse.

Still sometimes things happen which do not seem like they would matter. About six years ago, before I met the wonderful woman who would become my wife I was having a normal week. A normal week for me was a pretty busy existence. I was working 50 to 60 hours a week, getting my son to little league, my daughter to ballet, trying to maintain a house and a normal life schedule as a single Dad. Finances were tight but again we were getting by, I would never have complained.

I have some good friends but when you are a single man you have men friends. Male friendships are great and I was blessed and continue to blessed with having some wonderful friends. Still it is different than friendships that women have. We rarely have deep conversations and even more rarely do we have a silent understanding of what would mean a lot to someone without being given a diagram explaining it beforehand.

That spring as I got my son ready for little league, and he now approaching twelve throwing the ball exceptionally hard I commented to my friend that he was hurting my hand. My glove was easily twenty five years old.

A couple of days later we were at work and he asked me to come into his office. I went in, it was late afternoon, normal shoot the breeze time and as I went in he threw a bag at me. When I opened it I saw a new Rawlings Black Baseball Glove. He told me did not want to have to listen to me whine about my hand hurting or some such thing.

Now I could have bought the glove. I am however a make due kind of guy, it was not a purchase I would have made. The previous Christmas I had of course focused on the kids and being single there were really no presents for me. It was fine, if I want something, I get it, just as most of us at our do.

Still receiving that glove, out of the blue, was a gift that changed my day, my week, my month, my life. For me I did not know how alone I felt. I was doing the best I could, " going to work, taking care of the family,doing the right thing as best I could" as my Dad used to say. I did not really have time to think about my inner feelings.

Receiving that glove made me feel a human connection that was not based on what I could give to someone else in terms of support and caring but that someone actually cared about me, recognized where I was in the world at that time, and wanted to show they cared in a way that to me meant more than words can say.

I of course thanked my friend, I think I may have choked up, but being men we did not speak of it. We remain friends, he is like a brother to me. This experience bonded us in a way that is hard to describe.

We are all alone in this world in one way or another. If you get a chance to make a difference in someone's life you should. I learned that day that what might seem small to you in terms of effort expended can be a life changing event for the beneficiary. I was the beneficiary.

Recognizing how alone I felt only after a gift showed me that I was not opened me up to realizing that I could not just live for and through my children and be a fulfilled person and parent. I soon thereafter met my wife to be. I do not think it is a stretch to say that the baseball glove that I received that spring day changed my whole outlook on my life and my future.

We should never underestimate what ripples flow from our kind acts.