One of the morale events the ship conducted while deployed was a talent show. It was a joy to see young men and women sing, play guitar and piano, dance, and tell stories for the entertainment of their shipmates. It was even more wonderful to see how encouraging of the performers everyone was. Aside from good-natured ribbing, everything that was said was positive, and there was much to be positive about—there were some very talented performers. Performing talents are the easy ones to see, though, and sometimes people have to be encouraged in their other talents. Whether it’s driving a ship, repairing disabled gear, or being a source of encouragement to others, everyone has a talent that needs to be cultivated, not buried.
Lights are useless under a bushel.
He’d always said that his goal was to one day have people point at him on the street and say “there goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.” For a poor young man from southern California, it was even more unlikely to become true than it was for most other young men who had thought the same thing. Yet, the kid never considered it an impossible goal, and never stopped talking about hitting.
While his mother worked long hours to support her family, the kid would work for long hours at the ballfield, honing his craft. He pitched for his high school team and played American Legion Ball. In fact, he was the American Legion Baseball Graduate of the Year the spring that he completed high school.
Courted by Major League teams even before graduation, he made it quickly through the minors to the Big Leagues where he made an immediate impact. In his first series at home with his new club he hit a double, a triple, and a home run in a portent of an amazing career. He retired only after hitting 521 home runs (#521 came in his last at bat), with a career average of .344, and having earned two batting Triple Crowns, one of only two men to accomplish that titanic feat. Add to all of that the fact that he remains the last man ever to finish a season with a batting average >.400 (he hit .406 in 1941) and the slugger could fairly claim to be the best hitter who had ever lived. Not only did people on the street say that of him, so did his peers in baseball, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
What makes the accomplishments of the man people called “the Splendid Splinter” even more noteworthy was that such impressive stats were accumulated during a career twice interrupted by military service. “Teddy Ballgame” was also “Teddy Marine Pilot,” serving first in World War Two and then the Korean War where he flew 39 combat missions. Ted Williams will likely always be remembered as one of, if not the greatest hitter in baseball history, but he was also a good teammate and an American War Veteran.
Williams was certainly a talented hitter, but what set him apart from other talented hitters was his determination to be the best. He studied hitting, talked about it all the time, and even wrote a book about it titled The Science of Hitting. He was dedicated not only to knowing, but to sharing what he’d learned, determined to share his talent with others.
A wise man once said that “A buried talent is never a buried treasure, talents only become treasures through use.” The contestants in the Mahan’s Got Talent competition may have a head start, but musical, performance, and sports aren’t the only talents I’m talking about. What do you like to do? What do you do well? Does anyone else know? Let’s not bury our talents into obscurity. Instead, let us use them and make them treasures for ourselves, and for others.
LET US PRAY
Lord, we thank you for a ship filled with talented teammates. Thank you for our many different talents and skills. Thank you for the dreams that each of us hold in our heart. Help us to make strong, healthy steps towards our dreams, while also remaining loyal, faithful friends and shipmates. Grant us sound sleep, restore our strength and energy to pursue our dreams. Protect us this night, and through all the days that lie ahead, for You are holy always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
AMEN
An Orthodox Priest Abroad 