Chapter 1

TANNER



Chapter 1

In a small bustling Town located in southwestern Utah my wife Jean and I raised our five children. Four boys with one lone daughter became the nucleus around which our world revolved. The eldest son through bad luck or endowment from the creator inherited the title of big brother. Receiving my middle name as his own, Tanner DeVon Williams took his spot whether for good or bad as protector, teacher and exemplar. His gullible disciples Jordan , Justin and Jayden mere boys of 9,8 and 6 almost unwittingly had began morphing into their older brother. But the person who hung the moon for this family was sister Taylor. Like a mesmerizing desert sunset Taylor’s near embarrassment of allure, talent and brains have captivated us all.
It was late spring in red rock country and baseball fever began to peculate in the valley like a pot of boiling coffee. Dusty gloves, bats and balls began to immerge from smelly old equipment bags. Dismal seasons of yesteryear were forgotten and dreams of Yankees and pirates swirled in young boys skulls.
Tanner was not immune to the malaise spreading rapidly among his peers. He too, with grateful naivety looked forward to playing little league baseball this season. And not unlike most boys his age Tanner craved to become the pitcher. Because of course the Pitcher is the man. He is the focal point at every level of baseball. He like a heroic general controls the destiny of even the most hopeless army. How many grown men still hush themselves to sleep at night with the seductive vision of a heroic game winning strike out. How could I blame my son even with the immense challenges that dogged him, for wanting to live in the limelight of baseball heaven.
Even so my sympathetic heart often ached with compassion for my little man. I had thought I knew and understood his abilities and limitations and my only desire was to prolong his harmless aspirations. Soon enough I feared, reality with its cruel and cold hearted way would dash his innocent dream.
What transpired instead is a story so unexpected and miraculous that it could not be contained only within the minds of the few who by luck witnessed it. Such a stirring journey of a small boy who defied the odds and captured the hearts of a small town now begged to be told. Even as I take pen in hand and try to put emotional thoughts into sterile words I am choked and struggle to fight back tears. I hope this simple yet touching story will inspire others the way it has inspired me. Especially those who are left behind thought incapable of becoming average let alone great. Whose frailty or handicap are inevitably viewed as a tire shredding pot hole and not as merely a speed bump in life’s fast lane.
And so mustering what God given talent and ability I possess. In my own words I will endeavor to spin this remarkable tale of self determination, courage and hope.