Under the Influence of Oreos: Time with the UCSB Gauchos

There are some days that somehow work out so much better than you hope. Today was one of those days. And sometimes, it’s a blink in time and you just feel gratitude for the gift.

We hear about the occasional events for the special needs community. We try to take Bradley to all we can. We’ve loved when we can get him involved in different events, especially when we are able to help him overcome being shy and his tendency to cling to one of us. Challenger baseball was a big step for him. He had some success and though he wouldn’t go out on the field without his sister, he still went out without Eric or I. Big steps for a shy little guy.

Santa Barbara tends to offer more opportunities for Bradley then down in our little town and county, so I hear about opportunities up there. There have been a bunch: but time, circumstance, and Bradley’s health have all managed to prevent our participating with him. Most of the time, the events have either been during the week, or on a weekend day when the girls have had volleyball. A few times, he was just too sick to go and I believe one of the fires created air quality that we couldn’t take him out in, and then winds have prevented us a time or two as well.

Another chance today. I heard about the event over a month ago and I have had it on my calendar. The UCSB baseball team was hosting a Fall Sports Day for the Special Needs Community. It was another perfect chance for Bradley, so I was excited to take him and I was afraid it wouldn’t happen this time. We have had fierce winds whipping through at the same speed as hurricanes, and with them terrible air quality that makes the outside dangerous for Bradley, and his sister and dad. There were fires up near there, and then those were taken care of and so it looked good the event would happen. It was scheduled for the late afternoon which was perfect because Madison had her ACT this morning and wouldn’t be home until after 1:30. But I was still worried about the weather, the winds, and the air quality. I looked into all three, and going into Goleta on the edge above Santa Barbara, was probably the best place for all of them today.

We rushed out, and made it - but about fifteen minutes late. But no one seemed to mind. They gave Bradley a name tag and as we walked out onto the ball field, he was immediately interested in this humongous beach ball. As he made a beeline for it, the girls asked if I wanted them to go with him, I told them to wait. Then a couple of the players moved towards him and engaged him right away. They laughed with him and played with him, helping him push that huge ball all over the field. He went from one ball to the next, all these different size and different type of balls. The he discovered rockets and that was the most fun! He started to get a little tired, so Madison took him some juice and that helped him revive, and he went back to the balls. A little bit later, we got him over to the small scale ball diamond and they set him up to hit off a tee, which he likes to do, though he has forgotten all of his technique - like, hold the bat with two hands... but another player was there to teach him and though he was slow to grasp the concept, he was listening and receptive to a new friend. After he hit a small bunt, 😉 he wasn’t keen to run at first...but Madison took his hand and off they went. The team cheered his name and directed him around the bases, where he stopped about two feet from home, he tossed his new hat, and ripped off his name tag. Madison gave him a lift the last couple feet and as soon as he touched home plate, he sat crossed legged on top of it. Time for another break.

He went back to the field and all the balls. Out there, something amazing happened. Bradley put his hands up for the players and someone would help him up on the ball and then keep it steady for him to sit. And then he’d come down, and on the way to another ball, we saw him holding hands with one player that he seemed quite attached too. #27, you don’t even know how special that was that he chose you. Like watching a flower bloom, Bradley was interacting with players and doing it on his own. He wasn’t shy and he wasn’t nervous. He was relaxed and calm, interested and interacting with everything and everyone that come to him. And Eric and a I just watched from afar, proud of him and marveling at how open he was to the whole experience and all the players.

At one point he was so comfortable on the ball that he tossed off his shoe and socks. Good grief! So I sent the calvary and the girls went and got his socks and shoes back on and after he was helped back down, he looked at them and waved and said: “Bye!”

When it ended, he was pretty tired and ready to quit. But without protest, he joined the whole team and the other participants in a team huddle; I lost sight of him as they moved him into the middle for their cheer. But then as they broke up and started to move away, they called him back for pictures and he sat on the knee of a player in front and took a few before he was just tired of sitting still and bailed out. But he did it all, not perfectly, but no one said it had to be. Those young men showed such kindness, such patience, and such friendship. My heart is so full it might be overflowing a bit, but that’s okay; mom’s sometimes do that, especially when a group so completely Blesses your child.

Not enough words to say thank you. We watched out boy hit some amazing milestones today. We’re so proud of you Bradley! And we are truly grateful! Time to get Bradley a shirt for baseball and plan to get our little family to a game to support his new friends, it’s the very least we can do.