The Boy and Babe Ruth

"Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ ... will continue to be with us who live in truth and love." 
2 John 1:3 NLT

Today's Inspirational Story

The Boy and Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati. As the Babe walked off the field after the third out and headed toward the dugout, a crescendo of yelling and booing reached his ears.

Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the playing field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Ruth didn’t hesitate for one second. He picked up the boy and hugged him. Then he set him down on his feet, patting his head gently.

Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, hush fell over the entire park.

In that moment, the fans saw two heroes: Ruth, who in spite of his dismal day on the field could still care about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the fickle crowd.

-- Source Unknown

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." 
Proverbs 22:1 NIV

Taken from: GodFruits.com

It’s never too late to learn

"It’s never too late to learn."  Alferd Williams

Alferd Williams (b. 1937) was one of nine children born into a family of sharecroppers in Eudora, Arizona. When he was a boy, his family could not afford for both he and his twin brother to be gone all day to school. In order for both boys to get some education, Alferd’s mother devised a plan to alternate days where one twin would go to school while the other stayed home to help on the farm. However, Alferd’s twin would often rise early and sneak away to school, leaving Alferd to work long days on the farm throughout his school years. As a result, Alferd never learned to read.

Many decades later, Alferd, then a resident of Saint Joseph, Missouri, began to help a single mother by walking her three children to and from school. The 68-year-old Alferd acted as a parent to the children and helped care for them every afternoon. What he could not help them with, however, was their homework.
When the children’s first grade teacher, Alesia Hamilton, discovered that Alferd could not read the notes she had been sending home with the children, she began to teach him how to read. In the fall of 2006, Alferd enrolled as a first grade student.

After completing the first grade, Alferd chose to stay in Alesia’s class and continue to learn with the new first graders. Alesia encouraged Alferd’s passion for reading and eventually, for teaching children to read. In fact, parents said their children would come home excited, with stories about how Alferd had helped them learn to read.

Alferd is still in Alesia’s class, where he plans to stay until he completes his GED. Literacy has changed his life and opened a world of opportunities. His story shows us that it is never too late to begin.

Taken from: http://www.values.com/inspirational-sayings-billboards/63-Literacy