When motherhood required me to sign up various and sundry children for athletic activities I had two choices: 1) appear confident and knowledgeable with a firm grasp of the rules/culture/uniform requirements/bleachers vs. lawn chairs/snack routine/and social hierarchy of said sport, OR 2) admit I knew less than squat about that world and cling to the coattails of the nearest in-the-know sports mom who didn’t give off the scary vibe that she was about to eat me.

While there were benefits to either choice, I usually went with #2 and tried to keep my ignorance between just the two of us. That worked occasionally, but sadly, every now and then I ended up, unceremoniously and quite publicly, eaten.

But this is not a sports story. Or a woe-is-me-I’m-dumb-at-motherhood cry fest.

It’s a quick New Year’s Day thought. See what you think . . .

The Great American Pastime was the most-played sport by my kids so we’ll speak from that perspective. The beautiful Diamond.

One cannot sit on bleachers or stand behind chain link fences for game after game after game and not come away with at least a little surface knowledge of baseball/softball. Even hopeless cases like myself absorb a smidge.

It was during an early 1990s T-ball practice I heard a phrase that would stick with me over the decades. It’s not possible to replicate its on-the-spot impact, however, since back then it was being screamed by an already hoarse young mother/coach with a tiny infant strapped to the front of her and a gangly toddler lodged in a backpack around her back:

“Break the tape!!!”

“Break the tape!!!”

Apparently this was one of the basic tenets of a good base running technique from Home to 1st. Not sure if it’s a worldwide coaching tool common to every ball team, but I do know it traveled with my kids at least in their younger years in practices and probably in games too, though I stayed safely far away from the coaching staff during those times.

The roots of “breaking the tape” are, of course, found in foot races as athletes strive to be first to cross the finish line, arms in the air, chest breaking through the tape stretched across the finish line. It’s a glorious place to find oneself. The premise is that when your eye is on that prize (first place, or in this case, first base), you do not allow yourself to become distracted by what’s going on around you. No noise, movement, weather phenomenon, or physical pain keeps you from crossing that finish line or firmly planting that foot on the base. No second guessing. No confidence stealers. You RUN.

In T-ball some coaches went so far as to set up a tape across the base to illustrate the procedure and emblazon the tape-breaking lifestyle into five-year-old brains. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. Both were cute. But we don’t care about cute . . . we are ATHLETES . . . hear us roar.

My children are long gone from the house. A couple of them were pretty respectable high school athletes by virtue of hard work and talent, not by any athletic atmosphere of the home, that’s for sure. We were more of a “chain the kid to the piano for a few years and see what comes of it” kind of household. I must say, we churned out four mighty fine accomplished musicians. And some of them can even catch/throw a ball and swim like its their job.

Anyhoo, I’ve used, “Break the tape!” in my own life and challenges more than a few times, during both practice days and big game days. Kind of silly I suppose, but there you have it. It’s an internal push from that loud early 90s mom carrying babies around the baseball diamond. If she can do it, so can I.

And I have.

And I will.

The noise surrounding the New Year comes with a lot that can distract us from our purpose. We are bombarded by media and even well-intentioned friends and family to make big changes at this time of year, “work” on ourselves, “achieve” goals. While none of that is necessarily dark or certainly not evil, let’s keep in mind that even good intentions can be distractions.

Friend, if you’re looking for a purpose or a goal in this new year of 2025, may I point you toward a starting place? It aligns with our “breaking the tape” mentality though it was given to the Israelites just a bit before baseball came into folks’ lives. Believe me, they had other stuff going on besides playing games. Here is the Word of the Lord:

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. 

Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess

Deuteronomy 5:32-33

And if you’re familiar with scripture you are probably waiting for this:

I press on toward the goal to win the prize

for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14

So, picture a baseball diamond. Maybe you already have one in mind. You and your bat just clipped a little chopper to the left infield and it’s a race to see whether you or the ball gets to the base first. No nonchalance allowed. No sauntering. Jogging? Nope.

RUN

Look Straight Ahead

Get There

Break the Tape

Put Yer Little Foot on the Base

In case you need to spend one minute watching a cute kid (ahem, grandson) practicing his breaking-the-tape skills, here you be. Go #8!

Happy New Year, Dear Ones! .

Listen to your Coach!

Much love,

MM

P.S. Yes, yes, yes, I know there are circumstances that call for not breaking the tape and instead rounding first base at a dead run for second base. That’s not my problem. That’s what first base coaches are for.

P.S.x 2 Something “took” as it were during those years of watching kids play ball. We already have our tickets to Spring Training in Phoenix for this year. So there’s that. #gomariners