Hey Dad! Want to Have a Catch?

Contributed by Joe Vallely, President/CIO Lehigh Valley MABL/MSBL

During the summer of my son Matthew’s junior year of college, he secured a summer internship with a company in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

I decided to drive him out to Idaho so he would have his car for the summer, and we turned it into a memorable father-son road trip with many of the country’s greatest places to visit along the way.

I had some work to do, so the first two days of our trip revolved around my work and had us end up in Madison, Wisconsin. From there, I plotted a course to visit Dyersville, Iowa, to see the ‘Field of Dreams’ movie site. We got there, we looked around, we visited the gift shop, and we were ready to move on. I think the whole thing took 20 minutes.

As we exited the gift shop, my son told me he would be right back. Suddenly, I found myself halfway between the field and the exit when my son came running back to me with two baseball gloves. He had hidden our gloves in his luggage, likely planning this moment the whole time

Hey Dad! Want to have a catch? Matt asked me…How fitting!

We made our way up to the field and waited for our turn to use the field. When we finished “having a catch,” Matt met me at home plate and gave a warm and steady embrace. He told me how much I meant to him and how thankful he was for all Roseanne I have done for him. I cried tears of joy.

To me, the movie was never about baseball. It was about the relationship between a father and a son that was fractured. Baseball was the vehicle for reconciliation.

I’m fortunate that our relationship will never require a reconciliation and that baseball became a place where we could teach the lessons of life needed to send a young man into the world who is ready to face it with confidence, candor, humility, respect for the opponent, and a work ethic that will serve him well.

Our embrace at home plate brought 21 years of raising a baby boy into a young man, who I could not be prouder of, full circle.

As I drive him to his next chapter, 2400 miles from home, I know these moments are fleeting, and I know Roseanne and I have prepared him to find his way in the world and leave everywhere he goes better than he found it.

As we walked off the field, I thought of the moment ‘Moonlight Graham’ leaves the field to attend to the choking little girl and becomes ‘Doc Graham’ once again. I’m reminded of how one’s passions become their purpose, and I’m certain that as Matt crossed that plain, he is moving toward his purpose.