THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:11-13 KJV)

How I miss Ernie Harwell reading those words each year on the opening day of the baseball season. Today was that day; at least for the exhibition season and my Tigers won 5-4 over my Atlanta Braves. Don't know exactly why I like the Tigers so much but I first went to a game at Briggs Stadium in 1952 and have been hooked ever since. Virgil Trucks was the pitcher that day and that is really all that I remember about the game. There have been hundreds since at Briggs Stadium, then Tiger Stadium and finally Comerica Park. What sweet memories! But, in all honesty, I think that the most treasured memories that I have of Detroit Tigers baseball is listening to it on a crystal radio that I built myself with the antenna wire clipped to a piece of water pipe in our upstairs dormer bathroom for better reception. I had a tiny little earphone to listen to it on. My mind's eye could visualize every pitch and every crack of the bat put me right on the field with the action. Now, I get to listen to the games on my laptop computer because I'm off in the northern hinterlands of Michigan where NASCAR is king - very few baseball broadcasts. By the way as I look out our window, I see snow flakes the size of quarters. O, goody! More snow. ;-( Tonight is Ash Wednesday so I guess that I had better start getting ready for our service. Be blessed during this Lenten season and look for ways to enjoy where God has place you. As Spring unfolds I know that I won't have any trouble doing the same.