Saturday, March 12, 2011

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

     It has been a long hard winter!  Time to put away snow shovels, winter coats and mittens, and bring out the bats, baseball cap and mit.  I feel the national anthem should be Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

     I love this time of year!  Baseball has always been my favorite sport; the only one I ever came close to excelling at in school.  There is something about walking into a stadium like Wrigley Field and absorbing the whole atmosphere, the smell of hot dogs and the natural grass.  The feel of the electricity of the excitement and anticipation of a possible Cub win.

     There is just something about sitting up in the cheap seats or the bleachers and looking down on the field trying to spot your favorite player.  You can also look around the outside of the stadium and take in the breath taking view and beauty of Lake Michigan and the skyline surrounding Wrigleyville.  It's always great to see the flags in center field flapping outward toward Sheffield Ave.  When you see that you know there are going to be some homers hit that day.  That always gets the crowd roaring.

     Finally, the actual National Anthem is sung and the symbolic first pitch is thrown.  The umpire shouts "Play Ball".  And the real fun begins.  It's a great sight to see the crowd get into the game.  It's exciting to see what strategies will be taken by each manager in each situation on the field.  What makes it more exciting for me and what keeps my interest the most is keeping score and marking down every advance of every runner that ever gets on during the whole game.  Then as predicted, due to the flags flapping in the wind, the first homerun is hit onto Sheffield and the crowd goes wild as if the Cubs have won their first World Series since before World WarII.

     One more important part of going to a major league game for me is having a hot dog and a beer.  There is something special about that stadium dog.  And you have to have a beer to wash it down.  It must be special, like lined with gold, for as expensive they are.  Oh well this is like a vacation day and money can't be an object while your on vacation.  Then they play what I feel should be the National Anthem, but this time in the Seventh Inning Stretch, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".  This is the world's largest group Kareoke.  Everyone joins in.  It's ok if you're off key because the conductor is too.

     Finally the game is over.  The maintenance crew can climb out of the scoreboard now and hoist up the "W" flag after a Cub win.  Another end to another great day.  Now you have a few options.  You can either rush out of the stands and sit in a traffic jam for what feels like an eternity, or you can wander around the stadium to see if you can pick up any last minute souveniers.  Then you can either make your way down to the Addison St. Station to catch the train or if you did drive go out and get into a hopefully shorter version of the same traffic jam you would have sat in if you left earlier.

      To me, baseball is baseball.  So it really doesn't matter to me whether I'm lying on the couch watching Sunday Night baseball being described to me by Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on ESPN, or if I go to a Major League game in Chicago, a Lumber Kings game in Clinton, IA or if I go to Kiwanis Park in Fulton, IL to watch Sam play in the "Majors" there.  I just love to watch the game.  I miss my playing days.  I think I may have the distiction for being San Jose Grade School's most consistant bunter.  I miss skipping out of Miss Price's English class to go to a very impromptu baseball practice before a big game in the middle of the afternoon in high school.  I miss being able to take batting practice and running the bases.  I miss shagging flys in the outfield as we would watch a stray ball bounce out onto Route 136 as it just missed a semi or maybe even get caught richocheting in its wheel base as it rolled down the highway.  What ever the case may be, I am glad that the long winter is over and we can all take in a game or two at any of the afore mentioned parks.  As the great Cub Ernie Banks once said, it's always "a great day to play two."    

     Take MeOut to the Ball Game and Play Ball!!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I Will

     Deut. 30:19  This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

     There are people in this world who say they are "pro-choice".  I happen to be as well, but I choose life.

     The following is a scenario not unlike a similar scenario that could, but has not necessarily happened in a neighborhood near you.

     227,  228 Oh here it is 229, The Pregnancy Center.  I sure hope they can help me.
     Hi, Welcome to The Pregnancy Center.  How are you today?
     Oh, Well, Okay, I...I guess.
     Oh, My name is Mary.  Have you been here before?
     No I just...I mean I don't...
     Just relax honey, come on in and sit down.  Would you like something to drink?  Water, juice?
     No, No thanks.  I would like to talk to some one though.
     Oh, of course.  That's what we're here for, but I still didn't catch your name.
     Oh, my name is Tonya.
     Well, it's very nice to meet you, Tonya.  Have a seat.  I have a very special person I would like for you to meet.  I'll be right back.

     Wow, she was nice.  I have a good feeling about tis place.  I sure hope they can help me beacuse I don't know what to do.

     Tonya, This is one of our councelors, Shemequa.  She would like for you to come back into her office where you can have a little privacy and chat with you.  You know get to know you a little.
     Glad to meet you, Tonya.  Come on back.

     Have a seat and tell me a little about yourself.
     Well, I'm 16.  I'm a junior in high school and I'm scared to death.  What else do you need to know?
     Oh, honey I can imagine how you feel.  I was 16 once myself.
     Yeah, but I think I'm pregnant.  Bet you don't know how that feels at 16.
     Well, Tonya,  that's where you're wrong.  I do know how it feels.  I was in your same shoes.  I was pregnant at 16 but I didn't always make the right choices.  I hope you do.
     Right choices?  What do you mean?
     Well,  I have my regrets, but we can talk about that later.

     I heard about this place in my church.  I hope you can help me.
     Well, I'm sure we can.  What exactly have you heard?
     That girls like me can come in here and talk to people and you can run some sorta test and help me with my baby.
     Yeah That's pretty much what we do here.  Do you know what kind of tests we do?
     Pregnancy tests, I guess.
     Well yeah that's part of it.  But we also can do Ultra-sounds as well.
     What's that?
     Well, that's where we take sort of a video form the outside of your tummy and see the baby move inside of you.  But first we need to varify whether you really are pregnant.
     Oh, I'm pretty sure of that.  I missed...you know.
     Oh, yeah, I do know.  Like I said I've been there.
     Yeah, you said that before.  Tell me more.
     Well, let's start the first test then we'll talk while we're waiting.

     Like I said I was 16 when I found out I was pregnant.  I was lost just like you, but I didn't make very good choices.  At least your here now I can can help you.  We'll pray for you and your young child.  We will give you as much councelling and love as we can give you.  We will provide some basics for your baby like clothing, diapers, lotion, powder etc.  Can we get the father and your parents involved?  It might help you get through this whole thing.
     Not the father.  As soon as he heard I might be pregnant he skipped town.  My parents will kill me.
     You might be surprised about that.  Would you mind if we talk to them?
     If you think they would help, sure.

     Shemequa, these are Tonya's parents.  They wanted to be involved with Tonya and the baby so they came to see you.
     It's very nice to meet you.  Won't you come in and have a seat.?
     Tonya just felt so uncomfortable about all this.  We hope you don't mind us coming to talk to you without her.  She said you have been through this yourself.
     Yes...Yes I have.  I wish there was a place like this in my neighborhood when I was that age.  I unfortunately took an alternative route.  I later met a friend named Jesus and he put me on the right path and now I'm here trying to help young girls make better decisions.
  Tonya said you can do an Ultra-sound.  How does that work?

     Tonya we went to The Pregnancy Center today.  Shemequa seems nice.
     Oh, they're  all realy nice there.  I'm just scared.  What am I going to do?
     Honey, your mom and I have decided we want to be with you through this whole process.
     Oh, daddy.  Thank you I thought you would be ashamed of me.
     Well, honey, we all make mistakes.  We really should go down there and do that Ultra-sound.

     Shemequa,  Tonya and her parents are here.  They say that they want to do an Ultra-sound.
     That sounds great.  Come on back.  We'll get started.

     Oh, would you look at that.  He's moving around.
      It's a he?
     Yeah, you can tell right there.
      Is that really his heart beat?
     Yeah, we can detect that and determine his sex very early on.  he can also feel pain very early on.  This is the thing I wished I would have been able to see and do when I was in Tonya's position.  The place I went just wanted to herd me through and collect the money.

     Now we have some decisions to make.
     Now that I've seen the life inside of me I know one thing I'm not going to do.
     That's the choice I wanted you to make.  The next thing is though will you raise this little boy?
     I'm only 16 what do I know about raising a baby?
     Honey, you know we're here to help, too.
     Well, you know there still is one alternative.
     No I already said I wasn't gonna do that.
     No I mean that there are families out there who would love to adopt this young life.
     How does that work?

     Tonya, Now that you have gone through all of this there is one thing I need to ask you?
     What is it?
     Do you know Jesus?  Does He live in your heart?
     I told you I go to church.
     That's not what I asked.  Does He live in your heart?
     How do I get Him to do that?

      Let me tell you something first.  I have said a couple of times I would tell you about myself when I was 16 years old and pregnant.
     Yeah what of it?
     Well when I was pregnant I did not have the help of the father or my parents. 
     I was very lucky.
     You were blessed. That's what I found out later that I am.  I found 2 things.  Shenequa means "God's Blessings".  And that there is a God that we can come to and lay all of our cares at his feet.  Even though I aborted my baby, I now know that God forgives.  He forgave me and He can forgive you of all of your sins if your merely ask Him into your heart.  So the question I have for you Will you allow God to forgive you of your sins and ask His son Jesus into your heart?
     I will!