It is hard to believe that fifty years have passed since Jackie Robinson made history by becoming the first black baseball player to break into the major leagues. In the late forties, racism was not dead in America. The time had come to integrate the Major Leagues but many people opposed it. Branch Rickey, owner of the Dodgers at that time, decided to bring Jackie Robinson up from Montreal, then a minor league affiliate of the Dodgers. Mr. Rickey told Robinson, "It'll be a battle. You're going to have to take abuse and you can't react or fight back." That was hard because Jackie Robinson was a proud man and a great athlete. Jackie Robinson agreed to give it a try and he made history!

Branch Rickey was right. Jackie suffered abuse from nearly everyone including some from his own team. He would be yelled at, cursed, knocked down by pitches and every slide seemed to bring the opportunity from some opposing player to spike the young second baseman. The worst were the terrible racial slurs that would be shouted from the crowd and from the members of the other team.

One day, Robinson was having a hard day. He had committed an error and had booted an easy play, the boos were filling the stadium and the cat calls were relentless. Suddenly, Pee Wee Reese, the Dodger shortstop and the captain of the team, called time out. In view of the tens of thousands of fans, Pee Wee walked over and put his arm around Jackie and told him it would be okay.

Much later, Jackie Robinson, looking back on his illustrious career said, "I don't remember his exact words, I don't remember the look on his face but I remember his arm on my shoulder. It was that moment, that may have saved my career, Pee Wee Reese made me feel like I belonged on the Dodgers and in the Major Leagues."

We All Need Someone To Put An Arm Around Us.

Sometimes, we all need someone to just put an arm around us and make us feel like we belong and that someone cares. Encouragement is the most important gift we can ever give and all it cost is a little time and a willingness to reach out to someone.

There are people all around you that need someone to encourage them. They may be on the verge of giving up and we can help them to continue until they reach the success they are striving towards. Look around, find someone to encourage, tell them what a wonderful job they are doing, that you care about their efforts and them. You can make a difference.