Before we had kids, sacrifice meant
we were giving up a vacation, or putting off a purchase, or working longer
hours to climb the corporate ladder.
But all that changed when we had our boys.
Now days, sacrifice cuts a little
deeper. It frequently revolves
around the almost impossibly insane schedule kept by my husband, Craig
Coshun. I am overwhelmed
quite frequently by the depth of sacrifice he makes for us to stay afloat, to
have a family with one parent at home who is able to cater to the kids the way
we had always hoped to, and to manage a work life that is by all accounts as
hectic as they come. And yet, like
so many working parents, and indeed most caregivers of children, adults or
simply those unable to care for themselves, he has little knowledge of the
importance of his tremendous acts of selflessness. In fact, there really is no way for him to understand fully
what a gift he is to the rest of us.
So often the rewards for the hours
and days and weeks he spends away from his family are vague and hard to come
by, as the old saying goes, hard work is it’s own reward. And, too often, the precious time he
does have at home, is unspectacular and bogged down by the mundane day-to-day
activities that keep the household running and a family ticking.
In the summer, Brewers baseball is
his second family, where Craig is able to enjoy a rare opportunity to fulfill a
boyhood dream, working in his home state, at a job he loves. The good fortune is not lost on him,
and he frequently tells people it beats getting a “real” job. But the three of us back at home know
better. We have a crystal clear
understanding of the sacrifice he makes each time he drives away, knowing in
the rear view mirror he’s leaving behind our 13 year old pitching, knowing that
other fathers are going with their sons on a campout, knowing that it’s the end
of the year piano recital he won’t see again this year, knowing it’s another
bedtime, or birthday, or anniversary that will have to wait.
But the truly amazing thing is,
every so often, on a rare day off or unscheduled moment of down time, he is
somehow miraculously treated to the most delightful special moments. These are the times I hope will sustain
him through the lonely hours away, far from the hustle and bustle that is our
life here raising two middle school sports nuts.
The best example happened just a
couple of weeks ago. The stars
aligned and he would get to see Jake, our youngest, play baseball, something
that’s only happened a handful of times this season. Both of them were thrilled and excited, but they never could
have predicted what a day they would share.
It happened like this; the game was
tied going into the final half inning.
At the middle of the inning, Craig anxiously told me he thought Jake
would get to bat. His nervous
energy won’t allow him to sit for a single out of the game, but his pacing
picked up as he informed me, “Jake’s in the hole.” The first batter had gotten on base and as Jake prepared for
his turn at bat, the next batter also landed on base.
“Jakes on deck,” he mumbled to me
as he briskly walked back and forth behind the bleachers, “This is so nerve
wracking!”
I laughed on the inside knowing how
he was feeling because it is all too familiar to me. But for Craig, this unbearable yet delicious excitement
mixed with nerves was almost too much to take.
Finally it was Jakes turn to step
up to the plate. The batter ahead
of him had gotten on base. A
runner stood poised on every base.
A hit wins the game, the situation a baseball announcer relishes, waiting
for the adrenalin rush to make the big call. But the tables were turned, and now the dream situation
rendered this baseball announcer breathless and wracked with anxiety.
Our son took his place in the
batters box and promptly took two swings for two strikes.
Craig was literally hanging on the
fence.
“Come on Jake!” he encouraged him.
The next three pitches narrowly
missed his head, one sending him twirling to the dirt.
Full count.
The next pitch came fast and hard,
a great pitch by a talented pitcher.
It was just what Jake and his dad had hoped for, a hit!
I stood up to cheer as the winning
run headed for the plate, but Craig was watching the left fielder, who had
turned and was running toward the fence.
It was a good hit, but to our amazement the ball kept right on sailing
over the fence!
A grand slam home run! We all cheered wildly as Jake rounded
each base, and headed for his waiting team at home plate. Craig was literally jumping up and down
beating the fence above his head.
“Did you see that?” he turns and
shouts to me. “Wow! How about that!”
The thrill of a lifetime at the age
of 10 shared with a father who would have been heartbroken to hear it over the
phone but who instead, poured out his enthusiasm for so many missed moments
into this one that could not have been any better in a movie.
And now weeks later I can’t stop
marveling at it, the unlikelihood of that scenario ever happening to a player,
and the fact that his usually absent dad witnessed the whole thing. It’s unbelievable and yet so
perfect. I’m not sure if it was
divine intervention, or the planets being positioned properly or just good
karma. I do know hard work may be it’s own reward but this is so much better!
