Brotherly Love

The summer fields have been paved with glory for Miles.  
Champs of tournaments, regionals; a World Series participant!
Unfortunately, Landon's path was littered with bumps and slumps.  No regional invitation.  
He says he doesn't care, but a raw, candid moment suggests otherwise.
During the State tournament, Landon is up, late in the game, with the tying runs aboard.  He battles; fouling off numerous pitches.  Then, he connects; a line shot towards first!
The sudden transfer of heroics, from the batter, to the behemoth who made a leaping catch, 
 is too much for Landon, and too much for me.  My grandson is a puddle of tears. 
 My lower lip quivers.

Landon gets over it. Eventually, I do too.


I never had a brother, but, for 6 months of the year, I've got a ringside seat of the action.
It's not always pretty.  Truth be told, it rarely is.  The turf battle is constant.  On the surface, the turf in demand is usually Playstation, but I am reminded of the "Smothers Brothers:"  Mom always liked you best.
Seldom is the rhetoric particularly clever:
"You're stupid,"
No, you're stupid."
"Ouch!"
"MOM!"

A day in the life.

Still, there are moments of brotherly love; one such occurred this week, when Landon
stepped above the fray.  I suspect the low road was enticing; he could have complained 
about the attention his brother was getting, the time away from home. 
 He did not complain.
Apparently, he has amazing vision.  He saw the big picture.  Perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity for his big bro. Landon responded by doing what he does best.

His philanthropic efforts are legendary; if you don't believe me, just  ask the 
New Milford Soup Kitchen.
This week, he pointed his efforts to raising funds for his brother's Little League team,
to offset the unexpected expenses of competing in the World Series.

I pause.  My lower lip quivers as I reflect on how Landon has his brother's back.

I was not here, so I do not know how much effort was required to make Landon's 
lemonade stand a success.  I suspect most of the success was based on his 
reputation and the generosity of New Milford; especially the baseball community.
Thank you.

Landon raised over $500.  That's a lot of lemonade.

Not only did Landon take the high road; he is also on the fast track to
maturity and success.

He gets it.  The boy is a hero; the boy is a champion.
The boy makes me proud.