More to life than baseball
January 19, 2008 by Hunter Pence
Filed under Baseball
Hello again everyone!
Another week closer to spring training.
This week was Astros caravan week for me. I went on the Temple caravan with Chris Sampson and J.R. Towles where we talked to high school and college athletes throughout that area about what it is like to be a big leaguer. We also had a stop at Fort Hood where we had the chance to meet and greet some brave soldiers who had been in Iraq. It takes a great deal of courage to do what they do … I have a ton of respect for every one of them.
BUT, I must say the stop that had the biggest impact on me was the childrens hopsital. It puts the world in perspective, and I was just glad to have the opportunity to put smiles on some of their faces.
One of the girls we went to see, it happened to be her 7th birthday. She wasn’t awake to meet us, but we were able to take pictures and visit with her mother and grandmother. This story really stuck out to me because it’s something I could never imagine happening and something I’ve never even paid attention to.
The young girl was in a small car accident where the air bag deployed and struck her under the chin. The air bag was so powerful that she was paralyzed from the neck down. The mother, when she was telling the story, said that even if they meet the weight requirements, don’t sit your children in the front seat.
I thought that I would at least mention that because hopefully somebody will read this and prevent this tragedy from recurring.
The caravan made me realize that there are more important things in life than baseball, but at the same time we can use baseball to make a difference. It was good seeing my teammates and all the Astros fans. Its starting to feel like baseball is upon us!
Now its time to get back to training and prepare myself for the upcoming year.
Until next time …
Hunter
Hunter, I bet those kids had the time of their lives.
When my friend’s grandmother was in her twenty’s, she was a nurse in the childrens ward at a hospital. 50 years later, on her death bed, she told my friend the story of when a local baseball legend came to visit the kids. She couldn’t remember his name, but she did remember how the kids lit up every time they heard it after that. The way he treated them like friends, the smiles, the happiness he left behind has always stayed with her. She could never figure out why he would bother coming by, but thanked God every day that he did. Her and the other nurses always called him their miracle.
You not only brought happiness to the children and their families, but everyone who saw you that day. And everyone who read your story and opened their eyes to the bigger world that can be changed.
Thank you.