At the end of the Gala when all were gathering to leave, one of the clergy volunteers, Steve Lineback, showed me a Hall of Fame postcard. It was signed by Ralph Kiner, and Steve had won it in the silent auction. Kiner is one of the baseball greats who played for the Philadelphia Pirates, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cleveland Indians. Ralph Kiner was also an announcer for major league baseball and did so for 53 seasons. That was a great card to win in a bid!
I was happy for Steve. It's fun to become the owner of some American baseball history. However, when he said, "My dad and Ralph were friends. They played baseball together in high school. My dad used to pitch to him." My heart took a little leap.
Steve Lineback's dad John, was a Naval Pilot in WW II. After the war he taught high school, coached, started a family, and was in the Naval Reserves. Fifty-five years ago while on a routine Naval training mission, he and his plane were lost at sea. Neither the plane or the pilot, were ever heard from or seen again. Steve Lineback was a boy of fifteen when he and his family received the tragic news. Their lives were forever changed.
To receive a tangible reminder of the past,-- to connect in a little way to a loved one through an auctioned item, can only be described as a tender mercy. For me it was a gentle reminder that a loving Heavenly Father not only knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and how many hairs are on our head, (Matthew 10:29, Luke 12:7) but also understands when we could use a little boost in the form of a connection to someone we love, someone we have missed.
I've reflected on this again and again since Thursday night.
God is good.
Post Script:
Nationally recognized collector and historian Brent Ashworth, donated the autographed item spoken of here. This along with other items donated by Brent, were to help raise funds for the programs at Heritage. In his vast collection of items Ashworth "just happened" to choose something of significant personal meaning to one of 250 people in attendance. As "luck" would have it Brent and Steve also sat at the same table that evening.
