Laura Mooney

The local newspapers are giving deserved attention to the pitching staff of the OSU Beavers...but it's still hard for me to read. I am happy for the success of some of the new players, but I am struggling with the fact that my son is on the DL right now. You see, after a long and difficult Pac-10 transfer from UW to OSU, he pitched two innings before straining his forearm, and he's been working with the trainer ever since, trying to make his way back into the game. Fortunately, he is in the hands of wonderful coaches. We continue to hope that in time things will improve and he will be on the mound again challenging batters with a fastball that has some wicked movement and a curve ball that breaks late. It's just hard to watch each week of the season slip by and wonder what the future brings.

Have any of you been through this? How did you manage? I just try to keep things in perspective and focus on the good stuff. (By the way, if you haven't heard of it, I'd like to recommend the book Focus on the Good Stuff by Mike Robbins, former Stanford and MLB pitcher. Great food for thought.) So today, I will enjoy watching my younger son play with his high school team. There are only a few games left in this season. And, like Trace Adkins sings - You're Gonna Miss This, I'm going to make sure I soak up every minute of the fun of sitting in the stands to cheer for my son. Then, I'll look forward to celebrating my older son's 21st birthday with him this weekend. Instead of being with OSU at WSU in Pullman, Washington, he'll be home to celebrate. Maybe there is a silver lining in this cloud. But I have to admit, I'm ready for some sunshine.