Hello Kids!

Last Saturday, while the Little League game was playing, Petaluma Pete was welcoming you to the River Plaza Community Celebration event.  The property is located at East Washington Street and Petaluma Blvd. N. (formerly Golden Eagle Center).  One of the kids who came by to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” with Petaluma Pete right there in the parking lot was little Arianna, pictured here.

It had been over a year since I last saw Arianna and I was amazed at how much she grew! Her big smile reminded me about how life goes on, even if we do lose a big game, and how looking at the positive side of things makes everything better. WAY better.

Those Little League boys left Petaluma to compete in the Nationals, and are now returning to a celebration parade as young men. They, and their grown-ups, will never be the same. My guess is that their families are closer, stronger and better prepared to overcome their every-day challenges head-on. It’s a new beginning for them.

As a community, we seemed to forget about our own personal set of challenges for one, brief, shining moment as we banded together behind these families to root, root, root for the home team. Win or lose, this could be a new beginning for all of us as well.

Ask your adults to think about how they felt when our big-hearted Little Leaguers fought their way back into that game with 10 runs in one inning. Ask them to look into the optimistic face of their own little Ariannas as they get back into their every-day routines. Ask them to look at this whole wonderful Little league experience as an excuse for a fresh start, a clean slate… sort of like a reboot. 🙂

A very famous baseball person once said “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and, in this case, it’s only the beginning provided we seize the opportunity.

See you at the parade?