The Lasting Effects of Positive Influences by Brent Overson

The other night, as I was sitting on a bleacher watching my son play in a little league baseball game, a familiar voice said to me, “Does this bring back memories, Brent?” As I looked over my shoulder and saw Gerald Romero, my little league all-star coach, sitting there with that familiar smile – mostly in his eyes – memories indeed came flooding, but I was surprised by what those memories were. I didn’t remember who or where we played, or how far we went in the tournament. I didn’t remember our fancy uniforms or any parties after the games. What I did remember was being a younger kid on the team and being afraid of a few of my teammates, but always feeling safe with Coach Romero around. I remembered practice – where he spent so much time hitting us balls until we felt like we kind of knew what we were doing out there. I remembered him running out onto the field and meeting me around second base, giving me a big hug and shaking me up and down a few times after I made a catch in center field to end a game and seal a victory. As I sat there on those bleachers with him, I could still remember the look on his face. What I thought was just pride and joy was probably more surprise and amazement that God had seen fit to answer his quick prayer with the ball in the air. Most of all, I remembered him making me feel like a million bucks - not just at that moment, but all the time. It’s amazing how vivid those feelings still are even as I type these words. I’m surprised by the warmth and love I feel towards that man now, 33 years later. I guess knowing what I know, having raised a couple of kids and experienced a lot of the ups and downs that life has to offer, I have a greater appreciation now for who he was then. I understand more the value of a good man. I was blessed to have been mentored by Coach Romero and so many others as I grew up here in this little town I call home. The names are many – of teachers, coaches, family, and friends – which come attached with these warm feelings because of the great qualities they exhibited to me in my youth. Most of all, I knew that they cared about me. As we raise our family here now, we are so grateful to the good, loving people who care enough to have a positive influence on our kids. I know, personally, how sweet and long lasting that influence can be.