Abandoned Places, Grieving with Others, and Traveling Cheap

You don't have to be a sports fan to appreciate what Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy did recently to honor Yordano Ventura, his 25-year-old teammate who died in a car accident in January.

Duffy wanted to do something for Ventura's mother. But what?

He set up an anonymous account on eBay and bid on Yordano Ventura memorabilia. This excellent story on Yahoo! Sports says Duffy wanted Ventura's mother to be able to look at a few things that captured her son at his finest to remind her about the impact her son made.

Duffy paid $100 for a bobblehead and had it sent to Kauffman Stadium (where the Royals play). The seller put two and two together and someone tweeted about it. Before long, Duffy's locker at Kauffman Stadium was filling up with limited-edition baseball cards of Ventura, handwritten notes, more bobbleheads, and so much more.

Over the years, I've interviewed Duffy a number of times. Once, I talked to him at length about his comeback from Tommy John surgery – asking him questions he's probably answered a hundred times before, but he still gave me introspective answers.

During another interview, he was in the minor leagues because a young up and coming pitcher named Yordano Ventura beat him out for the last pitching spot on the big league club. I asked him about that and here's what he said:

"I put a lot of pressure on myself this year coming in knowing I'm going to be competing with the best stuff on the planet in Ventura and the kid shoved in spring training. Hats off to him. I'm proud of him for how far he's come. So I came here just trying to have fun and to be a good teammate. I'm having a blast with these guys."

In all my years of covering sports, Duffy was one of a handful of guys I could always count on to tell me exactly he was thinking. When Duffy said he was proud of Ventura, I really believed him, even though Duffy was in the minor leagues as a result of Ventura.

Ventura is gone now and Duffy is finding ways to help Ventura's mother grieve. Grieving with others is a great way to live deeper. It not only lightens the load just a little, but it also creates a lifelong bond.  

Here are this week's week's thoughts about slowing down and living deeper:

• As a kid who grew up without having my father around for activities at school and Cub scouts and various other functions, I was nearly moved to tears by this story: Utah single mom dresses up like a dad for 'dads and doughnuts' day at her son's school.

• Speaking of moving stories, a local funeral home hosted a Valentine's Day party for two dozen widows and widowers so they wouldn't have to be alone. What a beautiful thing.

• Pub quizzes are beginning to pop up around the city I live in. Patrons play various forms of trivia in pubs and cafes on designated nights. And there seems to be one main rule: no phones. How refreshing is that? 

• If you are on Instagram, consider following Abandon. It's an account dedicated to abandoned shopping malls, cabins, playgrounds, schools and various places around the world. The photos are breathtaking. You don't have to be on Instragram to view the photos. Just click here.
  

• Check out this story. A man wanted to travel cross country on the cheap, so he converted the back of his Dodge Ram truck into a living space for just $250.00. My back would never survive the ordeal, but I love the idea.

• I'm corny and cheesy. I'm also a sentimentalist. My friends know this about me. My readers are learning this about me. Some people love it. Some don't. Some even misread it. But I've stopped trying to explain myself and it is liberating.

• When the Israelites departed from Egypt and Pharaoh changed his mind (again) about letting them go, he pursued them, and the people of Israel feared for their lives. Moses makes this remark: "The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent" (Exodus 14:14 ESV). Being silent when facing what they believed to be a certain death surely didn't come naturally. But the Lord was faithful in their silence.
  

Have we connected on Twitter or Facebook? If not, let's do so now.

And if you like what you're reading here and want to support it, then join my email list, or consider buying a book or becoming a patron (all patrons receive free copies of my e-books as they are released as a thank you for the support).

Have a great weekend!