Playing with the Enemy by Gary Ward

My sister gave me this book for my birthday last July.  She thought I would enjoy it as it had a baseball theme, and was about a son and his father.  How right she was.  I finally found the time to read it.  What a joy it was.  What a thoughtful gift from my sister. 

Reading the opening chapter while on the plane from Denver, on more than one occasion I had to stop to dab the tears from my eyes.  The thoughts that passed through my mind were overwhelming.  I immediately wanted to write the author to thank him for inspiring me.  As I finished the book this evening, once again I was dabbing at the tears.  The author’s Afterword made me realize the thoughts I had at the beginning of the book were often felt by his readers. 

The story is told by a son about a portion his father’s life.  A portion he knew little about.  The son always wondered about this hidden portion of his father's life.  His father's brush with death forced him to address his questions he'd kept bottled up for so long.  As my own father just recently turned 81, I find myself with my own set of questions.  I have this sudden burning desire to visit my Dad and sit down to dinner to learn all I can.  Or perhaps vacation with him; see the Indy 500 he’s always wanted to see.  Watch another ballgame, something we always enjoyed doing together. 

It’s tough living 3000 miles away from people you love.  

Note:  I drafted this a few weeks ago, got busy and never finished it.  I'm hitting Publish today as it's a great book.