Humble Beginnings

July 2, 2009

It's been nearly a week since the three year anniversary of the head injury that I sustained in El Paso, Texas.

July 2nd will always stand as an anniversary to me.

It's a day where my world was changed forever; a time where I grew to become a stronger and better person. I've been able to see, feel and be apart of so many wonderful things since that day. The blessings I have received in it's wake are hardly describable through words.

All because God decided it was not my time to come home...

This date was particularly important to me this year because it was the first time I have had the chance to take the field on the day since I was injured. I was placed on the inactive list in 2010 and was recovering from a sore shoulder last year. Although I did not pitch on the date this year, just being active and on the field brought about an emotional day for me.

After my second brain surgery

Yes, the scars have faded and I have been able to regain my strength, but I will never forget what happened that day. As much as I have tried to forget it, I cannot and will never be able to. It's as much a part of me as anything in my life.

It's a day that I've grown to look at with a smile.

There are so many wonderful things that I have been blessed with since that day. Originally, I looked at the day as a time of misfortune and bad luck. The more time has passed though, I can see how much it has lightened my life. I have evolved into a new person with a much different attitude towards the world.

July 2, 2009 was a day that made me start over again. I had to begin taking small steps towards a new way of living. The time period after I was hit brought about its share of of darkness, insecurity and pain, but I never stopped taking small steps towards the big picture.

Happiness.

The injury date was a humbling experience that forced me to begin from ground level. It taught me about the importance of small steps and how the word of God cannot be sped up. He is going to do things in His time...not in mine.

I have learned that the process can be slowed down.

You have to start small to achieve your goal. So what does this mean for you? Start small today...

I'll leave you with a word in Zechariah 4:6, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit says the Lord Almighty"

July 2, 2012 ... three years later in St. Louis, Mo.