FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ LIFE CHOICES ~ 08 October 2017

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

LIFE CHOICES

What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line...there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped, comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay".

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly, with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world."

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to make a difference. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice: do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities? A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats its least fortunate.

Unknown

 

[mylife]

Gotta love baseball ;)

[mylife]

ps f the nfl

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, lightman, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Are you enjoying nice fall weather?

[The Mayor]

Thank you Kathy!
Link to my radio show is here

http://www.wben.com/media/audio-channel/107-financial-guys-w-rus-thimpson-dave-dipietro-and-carl-paladino

[lightman]

Nice and warm but way too dry...no measurable rain since September 6. Praying that the remnants of Hurricane Nate give us at least half an inch.

[oldteen]

You and many others I know are totally boycotting the NFL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

A Blessed Lord's Day and Shavua Tov to you.

[luvie]

Ray Walker~Master The Tempest Is Raging
Congregational Singing

Cynthia Clawson & Others~Church In The Wildwood

The Trevecca Madragalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Statler Brothers~How Great Thou Art

St. Olaf Choir~When Peace Like A River

Providence~There's A Goldmine In The Sky

Vocal Majority~Deep River

[Mrs. Don-o]

Hey, my friend! You just gave e a new tagline. Thank you.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Given half a chance, kids will do the right thing....they understood.

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

[luvie]

Howdy, radu!

Did you have a good day? Looking forward to the storm? HERE is a great cam showing the storm surge at Gulfport. The guy who put it up, Mark Sudduth, has been featured on the WC today.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, bobby.223....a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

God Bless all those kids....they knew the right thing to do.

[radu]

Howdy, LUV.

Been a pretty quiet day here. The weather has the ol' arthritis cranked up so I've laid pretty low. We have Nate coming up at us tomorrow and have a cold front coming at us from the west and boy, does all that have the barometer bouncing!

I'm watching that cam in another window but at this site. There are 3 other cams set up at other locations in MS as well but right now, the one at Gulfport has the best view thanks to streetlights. The surge is REALLY piling in right now.

We get our yeeha from Nate tomorrow afternoon and evening.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, teen...*hugs*...thanks.

All is well. Quite busy, but really short attention span. LOL! Still haven’t learned to sleep yet.

A Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours. Prayers continue for Michael. Hope he’s feeling better.

[luvie]

Hope you just get a bit of rain...no high winds or downed trees like they’ve been predicting along its path!

Sorry the ol’ arthritis is flaring. Darn bad timing!

Where in MS is that man’s military collection?

[radu]

They’re predicting 3 to 5 inches for our area but we’ll see if we actually get that much. We need it so hope for at least 3 inches. I have no clue what to expect as far as wind but severe thunderstorms and possible tornados are a concern. Just have to wait to see what happens and hope for the best.

The military collection is in Tupelo, well north of the coast. They’ll be on the west side of the storm so should be just fine.

Dang, I’m glad all the storm chasers who were parked alongside the road in Gulfport moved out when they did. That water is getting higher and higher.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Glory to Your Kingdom!

Thanks, lightman.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Nate sounds like he could be quite interesting. I keep popping into the hurricane thread. I sure hope you ONLY get rain.

[luvie]

It nearly got up to the cam housing and it was placed 5’ from ground level. Calming now, but the maximum winds aren’t due till later tonight.

Darn it...I’m going to have to miss most of it so I don’t go head-bonking tomorrow morning. LOL!

See ya tomorrow night! :) Hope you don’t get floods.