Date:
To: Kenneth E Stutzman, Jr. Charles W. Rutherford, Juanita L. Brown, Mac Almond, Johnnie M. Dodson, and Chauncey Stumpter
Membership List: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddn3r8c7_69c35dhf
From: Michael Porter
RE: 32nd Newsletter
Inspirational Story
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, 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, who is mentally and physically disabled, 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 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!
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Here is Mac’s spreadsheet: http://tinyurl.com/253gxw
We had no wins on our one number:
| Power Ball Number | Power Ball | Dates Valid | Notes |
| 11 21 24 38 41 | 08 | 10/06 – | |
No one won the Jack Pot on
Our next drawing is
We now have one ticket in this game, and the odds of our winnings are 1 in 146,107,962.00. There are 10 shares issued in this game, here is the payout, not including any attorney fees, taxes or tithes:
| Shares Purchased | Amount you could win |
| .5 | $595,000.00 |
| 1 | $1,190,000.00 |
| 2 | $2,380,000.00 |
| 3 | $3,570,000.00 |
We can win this Saturday; I can live with $3.5 Million.
Game Announcements
1. Lotto
2. Mega Millions Lottery Pool – Game 38 – Cost is $10.00 per share. This game plays for 10 drawings. Game starts on
3.
What did your town look like according to Penny Postcards?
WOW - THIS IS REALLY COOL!
Check out your old stomping grounds during the times of the penny postcard.
Click on the state and then on the county to see old
penny postcards from that area.....pretty neat.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html
CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, students here is something to make you chuckle.
Whenever your children are out control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to His own children
After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said "DON'T”.
"Don't what ? Adam replied.
"Don't eat the forbidden fruit." God said.
”Forbidden fruit? We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve we have forbidden fruit!
“No”
"Yes"
"Do NOT eat the fruit! said God.
“Why?"
“Because I am your Father and I said so! God replied, wondering why He hadn't stopped creation after making the elephants.
A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked!
"Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit?" God asked.
“Uh-huh," Adam replied.
"Then why did you?" said the Father.
"I don't know," saidEve.
"She started it!" Adam said.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"DID NOT!"
Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own
Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.
THERE IS REASSURANCE IN THE STORY!
If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be hard on yourself.
If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be
a piece of cake for you?
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT!
1. You spend the first two 20 years of their life teaching them to walk and talk. Then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.
2. Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children's parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We childproofed our homes, but they are still getting in.
FINAL THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your nursing home one day.
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