I coached Jamie for four seasons once she decided to return to playing softball. Jamie sat out for five years before she started playing again last season. She is an absolute joy to coach and be around. When she asked me what nickname I would call her if I had a chance, and I told her I would call her money, Money in the Bag. Whether catching, throwing or hitting I am always confident she will come through and make the play. She has amazed me going into the hole behind third base, backhanding the ball and then throwing a strike from one knee to first base. And I still do not know how to explain only two strikeouts in two spring seasons, one fall season and two All-Star seasons. Both strike outs occurred when she was picked up by another team to play in a tournament in Marble Falls in the spring of 2005. The two pitchers that struck her out were awesome pitchers, but it did surprise me that she had struck out. She told me on the way home that everyone on the bench had focused on how good the pitchers were, and they had forecast that they were all going to strike out. She realized that it was better to focus on the strengths of her team and her team*s abilities, than focus on the abilities of the pitcher you are facing.
During the Pony All-Star season in 2005 many parents had asked me what I did to make Jamie the way she is. I told them I have prayed over her every night of her life and will continue to do that. And that is where I am the most proud of Jamie. I know she is an awesome ballplayer, but that is only a small fraction of how awesome she is as a person.
Jamie is an awesome sister to her brothers and sisters. Being raised in a house of chaos at times, Jamie has always been the peaceful beacon to us all. I have never once in almost fifteen years heard her raise her voice in anger to parent or sibling, or anyone else for that matter. She is a loving aunt of ten nieces and nephews and a wonderful granddaughter. When one of her older sisters/sister-in-laws have had a daughter, they have wanted their daughter to be just like Jamie.
But most of all Jamie is an awesome daughter. She is my daughter of purity. Her caring compassion and love towards any and all living creatures is beautiful. Two summers ago she babysat all summer to earn money for clothes for school. She finally got paid and I asked her if she wanted to go shopping. She looked up at me and said that she wanted to give her money to the charity she likes to give to. Her favorite charity is Feed the Children which feeds hungry children in need all over the United States. I asked her if she wanted to tithe twenty or thirty dollars to Feed the Children. That would have been about ten percent of her earnings and tithing is a good thing. But she looked up at me and said, *Dad, there is nothing I really need. I want to give it all. New clothes are not all that important, but feeding hungry children, now that is important. I almost cried as my heart filled with pride.
So who is Jamie? She is my daughter of purity, my awesome softball player, my writer, my leader, my treasure, my pride. She is an awesome person to coach, to mentor. She always has an encouraging word for her friends, family and teammates. She always gives everything she has to give, whether to her teammates, lost animals or hungry children she never will meet. I admire and respect her more than I can ever put in words. I could not be more proud of her than I am. She is a young woman of character and integrity, honor and truth.
She brings peace into areas of strife in others lives. It is an honor to be her dad, and I thank God always for allowing me to be a part of her life. She will give everything she has to give whether playing softball or foosball, or anything else for that matter. But win or lose, she is always a gracious winner and good sport when losing. She does her best at everything she does, but when the game is over she knows she has done everything she could to win, so there is no reason crying if her team has lost. What she always knows is that win or lose, she is always a winner to me. I am so proud to be her dad. Craig Gandy
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