I experienced one of my all-time favorite moments on Lovetown  this week, when I got to officiate a baseball game at “Miracle Field” (is that well-named or what?) for several local children living with disabilities.

I was incredibly touched to be present here—not to mention honored to take part. I loved to watch the way the kids responded to their circumstances with so much hope, joy and patience. So many adults would respond with hopelessness or sadness, but these kids were incredibly positive and bright.

As a cancer patient for nearly five years now, I know what it’s like to sometimes feel like nothing will inspire you again and to listen to your inner negativity in spite of yourself.

I know what it’s like when your body lets you down, or when you can’t do the things that healthy people can do. I have sometimes reacted with impatience and anger at my own body and at myself. But then I am faced with a situation like the game at Miracle Field. These children didn’t focus on what they couldn’t do, or on what their bodies weren’t able to do.  Instead they responded with the fun and thrill of the event, they had fun simply playing the game, and cheered each other’s accomplishments.

 Their boundless optimism inspired me and made me cry with happiness. They humbled me.

And it wasn’t just me—everyone present at the field, or who met those kids, felt the same thing, and left with shining faces. They had seen people respond to the worst in life with the best in the human spirit. It definitely changed me and inspired me on a permanent level.