Last fall I was in South Carolina. This was taken at a little place called Twin Lakes.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Choices
Here is a story that was forwarded to me:
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 fund-raising 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 the 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 short stop 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 help realize the"natural order of things." 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 and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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 fund-raising 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 the 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 short stop 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 help realize the"natural order of things." 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 and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Falls
This was taken in the spring. Have I mentioned that I love water?
I could probably fill a book or two with all of the pictures I have taken of different bodies of water...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Vision
I went for an eye exam yesterday. It's been two years since my last one. The good news was that my prescription has stayed the same.
Even so, I hate eye appointments. You sit in that chair and the doctor makes you tell her if you can see the letters on the wall. Well... no... that's why I'm here.
Can you see that now? Umm... no.
Now? No...
If I try this? No.
And by the end of the appointment I feel like I'm on the verge of going blind. Now that's a great feeling.
Even so, I hate eye appointments. You sit in that chair and the doctor makes you tell her if you can see the letters on the wall. Well... no... that's why I'm here.
Can you see that now? Umm... no.
Now? No...
If I try this? No.
And by the end of the appointment I feel like I'm on the verge of going blind. Now that's a great feeling.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Seeing things?
I have been reading Cami's blog and her posts about ghosts... I have a story.
I was home alone in a house where the bathroom water used to randomly turn on by itself...
It happened to be Halloween. Maybe my mind was a little more open to the possibility of spirits. I don't know.
I was in the kitchen, unpacking groceries, when I looked up. There in the hallway was a little boy watching me. He was short, maybe 9-10 years old, and was wearing a blue and white stripped polo.
I jumped. Blinked, and looked again. He was gone.
Ghost? Or an overactive imagination? You decide.
I was home alone in a house where the bathroom water used to randomly turn on by itself...
It happened to be Halloween. Maybe my mind was a little more open to the possibility of spirits. I don't know.
I was in the kitchen, unpacking groceries, when I looked up. There in the hallway was a little boy watching me. He was short, maybe 9-10 years old, and was wearing a blue and white stripped polo.
I jumped. Blinked, and looked again. He was gone.
Ghost? Or an overactive imagination? You decide.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A trip down memory lane...
I'm cleaning out my inbox and I found this...
A few memories from the house that made me smile to read so I thought I would share- Karen, this post is for you!
*Our rock theory-We all have five rocks. And they represent family, friends, work, school, and romantic love. But... At the bottom of this pyramid of rocks is a huge diamond. This diamond represents our faith. It holds the other rocks up and binds them together. Without this diamond, it all will crumble.
*Our first Thursday night. We didn't know what we started! It was an ice cream social and there were so many people!
*When we were at Econo and somehow agreed to have kyds...
*Our potluck! What a fun time.
*The night the power went out- staying up until four hoping we wouldn't have school, of course the power did come on then...
*Our list of names on the wall, I didn't know we knew that many people.
*Coming home from kyds and making quesadillas
*Cleaning the house and getting high off the bleach and oven-cleaner fumes. Then going to Mancino's and not being able to find your car.
*Judy! (Enough said... I've run into her several times... She doesn't remember me)
*Doing the neighbors' dishes because Gary put locks on our doors. Plus, we couldn't stay in the house while our attic was being mutilated.
*Having our attic redecorated for us
*Hanging out in the upstairs hallway before we had the downstairs clean. It was completely natural to get dinner and eat in sitting on the desk.
*Making lists of everyone who came over for our Thursday nights
*Giving up on getting the table clean and just buying a tablecloth.
*Having fun, staying up late and talking about anything...
*Our white trash couch!!
*Going out onto the porch "through" the door
*the night Megan and Aaron got engaged, we went to Perkins in our pajamas
*at Perkins - sharing a cheese quesadilla, then ordering and sharing another one
*the first time we shoveled snow we had so much fun.
*the leaning chimney in the attic
*sitting and talking in the red room
*we burned the cider so badly it turned into molasses
*We had some good dinners in the spring with the three of us.
*Cleaning the blinds outside with the hose... got a little wet. Then we found that bottle of the cleaning stuff/bleach that we used in the spring before we moved out.
*finding out that the neighbors could hear every word we said when we were in the dining room talking- whoops
*moving out. What a day. And all those guys at the neighbors' -- just watched us. Hours later one of them came home and immediately asked if we wanted help.
*dumping my water bed out the window, making mud, then watching the Tech Senior Walkers walk through it
*Finding out why my dishes started disappearing
*When I met Kelly A. and you at Wal-Mart because I had a bad feeling about the house and really couldn't bring myself to go in.
*I remember the feeling the first month we lived there. Life was reallygreat!
*Having Steve go through the house when we were too scared to go in...
*Making dinner for the neighbors, they were so polite, taking off their hats and all!
*Getting used to the neighbors drums
*"Hello neighbor!" (And for awhile "Hello, old neighbor!")
*Cleaning the house for hours
*Hearing voices that first day, but there was no one around, and then hearing dishes in the sink even though there weren't any
*Seeing ghosts
*Going to garage sales... But we couldn't find any...
*Writing on the walls, all of our random inside jokes...
*Going to Tech basketball games, I never thought I would be such a big fan!
*Our 4 hours talk on your bed with the doors closed one Saturday afternoon in the fall
*The Ouija Board Night -- Rita Aho died in 1964 in the attic, that was the first night the water turned on in the bathroom
*Walking to Perkins in the rain, through and back out of the construction zone, getting lost
*Your song in the fall. You always had to lay down when you heard it
*7 girls in the living room with our journals, making lists and predictions and such
*Sliding down the hallway floor
*SPAGHETTI
*Missing out on kyds at Narhi's because you, Kara, and I got distracted... *Bringing Tin Roof Sundae ice cream to the neighbors'
*Out on the front porch yelling ("Cheering for cars")
*The Winter Carnival All-Nighter at our house. Kara and I wrote all over my walls that night.
*Hungarian Falls - you, Kara, and me ~ taking pictures and everything, then we ate "dinner" together for the first time ever
*Hanging out on the steps when Henrik was writing down the Wall of Fame or whatever
*Going down the basement the first month we lived there we always had to have someone with us, or announce to the house that we were going down there, or at the very least, take the phone with us...
Sigh... Great memories... I'm sure there are many more but these made me smile and laugh a little...
A few memories from the house that made me smile to read so I thought I would share- Karen, this post is for you!
*Our rock theory-We all have five rocks. And they represent family, friends, work, school, and romantic love. But... At the bottom of this pyramid of rocks is a huge diamond. This diamond represents our faith. It holds the other rocks up and binds them together. Without this diamond, it all will crumble.
*Our first Thursday night. We didn't know what we started! It was an ice cream social and there were so many people!
*When we were at Econo and somehow agreed to have kyds...
*Our potluck! What a fun time.
*The night the power went out- staying up until four hoping we wouldn't have school, of course the power did come on then...
*Our list of names on the wall, I didn't know we knew that many people.
*Coming home from kyds and making quesadillas
*Cleaning the house and getting high off the bleach and oven-cleaner fumes. Then going to Mancino's and not being able to find your car.
*Judy! (Enough said... I've run into her several times... She doesn't remember me)
*Doing the neighbors' dishes because Gary put locks on our doors. Plus, we couldn't stay in the house while our attic was being mutilated.
*Having our attic redecorated for us
*Hanging out in the upstairs hallway before we had the downstairs clean. It was completely natural to get dinner and eat in sitting on the desk.
*Making lists of everyone who came over for our Thursday nights
*Giving up on getting the table clean and just buying a tablecloth.
*Having fun, staying up late and talking about anything...
*Our white trash couch!!
*Going out onto the porch "through" the door
*the night Megan and Aaron got engaged, we went to Perkins in our pajamas
*at Perkins - sharing a cheese quesadilla, then ordering and sharing another one
*the first time we shoveled snow we had so much fun.
*the leaning chimney in the attic
*sitting and talking in the red room
*we burned the cider so badly it turned into molasses
*We had some good dinners in the spring with the three of us.
*Cleaning the blinds outside with the hose... got a little wet. Then we found that bottle of the cleaning stuff/bleach that we used in the spring before we moved out.
*finding out that the neighbors could hear every word we said when we were in the dining room talking- whoops
*moving out. What a day. And all those guys at the neighbors' -- just watched us. Hours later one of them came home and immediately asked if we wanted help.
*dumping my water bed out the window, making mud, then watching the Tech Senior Walkers walk through it
*Finding out why my dishes started disappearing
*When I met Kelly A. and you at Wal-Mart because I had a bad feeling about the house and really couldn't bring myself to go in.
*I remember the feeling the first month we lived there. Life was reallygreat!
*Having Steve go through the house when we were too scared to go in...
*Making dinner for the neighbors, they were so polite, taking off their hats and all!
*Getting used to the neighbors drums
*"Hello neighbor!" (And for awhile "Hello, old neighbor!")
*Cleaning the house for hours
*Hearing voices that first day, but there was no one around, and then hearing dishes in the sink even though there weren't any
*Seeing ghosts
*Going to garage sales... But we couldn't find any...
*Writing on the walls, all of our random inside jokes...
*Going to Tech basketball games, I never thought I would be such a big fan!
*Our 4 hours talk on your bed with the doors closed one Saturday afternoon in the fall
*The Ouija Board Night -- Rita Aho died in 1964 in the attic, that was the first night the water turned on in the bathroom
*Walking to Perkins in the rain, through and back out of the construction zone, getting lost
*Your song in the fall. You always had to lay down when you heard it
*7 girls in the living room with our journals, making lists and predictions and such
*Sliding down the hallway floor
*SPAGHETTI
*Missing out on kyds at Narhi's because you, Kara, and I got distracted... *Bringing Tin Roof Sundae ice cream to the neighbors'
*Out on the front porch yelling ("Cheering for cars")
*The Winter Carnival All-Nighter at our house. Kara and I wrote all over my walls that night.
*Hungarian Falls - you, Kara, and me ~ taking pictures and everything, then we ate "dinner" together for the first time ever
*Hanging out on the steps when Henrik was writing down the Wall of Fame or whatever
*Going down the basement the first month we lived there we always had to have someone with us, or announce to the house that we were going down there, or at the very least, take the phone with us...
Sigh... Great memories... I'm sure there are many more but these made me smile and laugh a little...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
