In the summer of 1980, three of my brothers and I traveled with our softball team from Maryland to Tallahassee, Florida, to participate in a softball tournament.  We had a great team, but found ourselves on the verge of going home from the double-elimination tournament.  There were only four teams left from the field of sixteen when we met up with another one-loss team.  The winner would advance while the loser would pack their bags.  We had invested a significant amount of money in traveling to Florida, and most of us had taken time off work to be there.  We wanted to win the championship, and we believed our talent was enough to make it happen.  The situation we found ourselves in was perilous.  It was the bottom of the 7th, the last inning, in a tie score with runners on second and third with only one out.  Our pitcher called a timeout to discuss the strategy.  I was playing in the outfield when the infielders gathered on the mound to discuss their strategy.  Later, my brothers, who were together on the mound that day, told me about the conversation.  The pitcher proposed intentionally walking the next batter to load up the bases to set up a double play. They all nodded in agreement.  Both the first and third basemen were to go home for the force if they were hit the ball, and the shortstop and the second basemen would turn the double play from second to first.  No problem, they had done it many times.  They spent some time setting this up, and I watched from the outfield as they intentionally walked the next batter.  I have played baseball all my life, so I knew that the hope was for the next batter to hit a sharp ground ball to short or second and turn the double play to get out of the inning.  I watched with glee as the next hitter did precisely what we wanted.  He hit a sharp ground ball to the shortstop, a one-hopper that came at him about belt high. The second basemen moved to cover second, and it looked like our plan had worked to perfection.  Except!  To the amazement of everyone, the shortstop caught the ball and then inexplicably threw it to first base.  I can still clearly visualize the scene that unfolded in front of my unbelieving eyes.  The batter was out at first, recording the second out, but in the meantime, the winning run scored from third.  None of us could understand why the shortstop had thrown the ball to first instead of second. At least he should have thrown home.  The tournament ended for us on that play, and to this day, we call it the “sleepy shortstop” play.   When we asked the shortstop why he had thrown the ball to first when they had just discussed the plan, all he could say was, “I don’t know what I was thinking!” We laugh about it now, but back then, we felt pretty upset.  

From this experience, I recall the words of the poet Robert Burns when he wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray”.  Life is so like this softball experience.  You plan, prepare, and study, only to be surprised by something totally unexpected, which derails your well-laid plan.  I’ve often heard people lament, “I didn’t expect my life to turn out this way!” I can empathize with that!  I have also heard, many times, from faithful members of the church, “I’m a good person, why is this happening to me?”.  Surely we are told that  “… if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30).  We are required to do all that we can to prepare ourselves in this life, but we are still subject to unpredictable forces that include man’s agency and natural laws.  For the most part, these unpredictable forces are outside of our control.  We prepare and teach our families, but no matter how vigilant, some choose another path.  We obey the Word of Wisdom, which enhances our health, but we are still subject to the physical infirmities of the body.  We educate ourselves, then a disability hits, or the market in which we are trained goes south.  In this life, good planning works “most of the time”, but not always. If we understand that we will not look back, we will not blame ourselves every time something goes amiss. Temporary failure is part of the plan.  If we remember that “this life” is not the end, but just a small part of the plan, we will see that in the eternities, “the best laid plans of mice and men” will be done away with.  Christ has conquered death for all of us. Heavenly Father’s plan is perfect and will not fail us.  Have faith in His righteous works!  The Father’s plan, as executed by the Savior, will work.  We were all there at its planning and inception.  Unlike our shortstop, God the Father will not be found “sleeping” at a critical moment of the game.    

“Truth, life, and liberty, Freedom from death and woe, Are stakes we’re fighting for; Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who? (Hymns, Who’s on the Lord’s Side? No. 260). A championship is assured when we are on the Lord’s side.  We need to do all that we can to prepare. Then have faith in “the plan” we endorsed in the pre-existence!