Recruiting Forum Football Talk II

Status
Not open for further replies.
#110,977
#110,977
drvenner said:
My Facebook post from three years ago. It's one of my best memories from being deployed.

And Grace Danced Home

I would like to ask you to journey briefly back to the Summer of 1996. I was deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. 1996 was still very slightly ahead of the internet and email age. So, mail from home was always most welcome. I got a letter one morning from my Aunt Terri ( I really miss her a lot these days). The letter was not exactly from her. It was written by her, but dictated to her by my cousins, Michael and Stephan. I lived with them right before my deployment and I had been working very hard to convince Michael and Stephan that the Chicago Cubs were the key to the universe. As I was reading, I could hear the excitement in Stephan's voice as he described watching a Cubs game as he knew that I was not able to see them in Bosnia. He vividly described the ball sailing over the outfielder's head as Mark Grace ran around the bases. When the outfielder could not corral the ball quickly enough, he let me know that Grace had scored on the play. Only he did not say that Grace scored. He said, so very poetically, "and Grace danced home." I do not remember other details from that letter, nor do I recall who was batting or who the Cubs were playing, but the phrase "And Grace danced home," came to mean that hope still lived. Often, on those long road trips in Bosnia and in other places, later, I would envision the Cubs winning it all with Mark Grace scoring the winning run as he danced home. This phrase, as I aged, grew bigger, than the game. It came to represent all that was good and right with the world, even when everything most clearly was not. This magical past November, when the Cubs' gloriously exorcised all of those demons, I kept recalling these wonderful, beautiful words. I think of it now and I smile. It still seems to represent that hope that springs eternal and I am ever grateful for that letter, for so many reasons. Thank you Mike and Steve. I miss our story times. I cherish them though as I hope to cherish the memory of that letter always.

Tl;Dr?

Cubs!
Click to expand...
That's awesome. And given my current situation is very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SmokinBob, OGbabyaviVol, VOLSONLY and 1 other person
#110,993
#110,993
tn4elvis said:
I have a friend who lives in Billings Montana that keeps begging me to come out and visit.
Click to expand...
Pass that opportunity up. I’ve been there and you’re missing nothing. They don’t call it Big Sky country for nothing. There’s like absolutely nothing to do or see out there. Weather sucks a lot around this time of year as well since it’s like negative 30 at times with about a foot of snow or more
 
#110,996
#110,996
drvenner said:
My Facebook post from three years ago. It's one of my best memories from being deployed.

And Grace Danced Home

I would like to ask you to journey briefly back to the Summer of 1996. I was deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. 1996 was still very slightly ahead of the internet and email age. So, mail from home was always most welcome. I got a letter one morning from my Aunt Terri ( I really miss her a lot these days). The letter was not exactly from her. It was written by her, but dictated to her by my cousins, Michael and Stephan. I lived with them right before my deployment and I had been working very hard to convince Michael and Stephan that the Chicago Cubs were the key to the universe. As I was reading, I could hear the excitement in Stephan's voice as he described watching a Cubs game as he knew that I was not able to see them in Bosnia. He vividly described the ball sailing over the outfielder's head as Mark Grace ran around the bases. When the outfielder could not corral the ball quickly enough, he let me know that Grace had scored on the play. Only he did not say that Grace scored. He said, so very poetically, "and Grace danced home." I do not remember other details from that letter, nor do I recall who was batting or who the Cubs were playing, but the phrase "And Grace danced home," came to mean that hope still lived. Often, on those long road trips in Bosnia and in other places, later, I would envision the Cubs winning it all with Mark Grace scoring the winning run as he danced home. This phrase, as I aged, grew bigger, than the game. It came to represent all that was good and right with the world, even when everything most clearly was not. This magical past November, when the Cubs' gloriously exorcised all of those demons, I kept recalling these wonderful, beautiful words. I think of it now and I smile. It still seems to represent that hope that springs eternal and I am ever grateful for that letter, for so many reasons. Thank you Mike and Steve. I miss our story times. I cherish them though as I hope to cherish the memory of that letter always.

Tl;Dr?

Cubs!
Click to expand...

Good title for a book...

My uncle was in B&H. Stationed in Vezina, Italy then would go out on missions there. He's told me some stories but I don't really know the full details of what he was doing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SmokinBob and drvenner
New posts
Status
Not open for further replies.

VN Store



Back
Top