a very moving story

Tracy is a girl who plays Tee-ball. She comes to the game every week. She's not a very skilled player. Her glasses are as thick as the bottom of a Coke bottle. She has hearing aids in both ears. She runs in a loping, carefree sort of way --- it's as though she is pulling one leg behind her. As she runs one arm goes like a windmill.
Everyone on the stands cheers for her regardless of the team that they barrack for. Its a rare thing for Tracy to hit the ball off the tee. However, one day the miracle happened. Tracy swung the bat wildly, as she usually did, and smack --- all of that energy in the wildly swinging bat actually connected with the ball and sent it screaming between 17 fielders. Tracy was so surprised she simply stood there. All of the parents stood and screamed "Run, Tracy, run! Run!" Tracy turned and smiled and ready to please the parents , she galumphed off to first base, and stopped there --- the coach yelled at her to keep going, so obediently headed for second. By the time she reached there, the members of the opposition were already passing the ball among themselves (It's a rule in Tee-ball that everyone on the defending team has to touch every ball). The ball made its slow journey towards the home plate as Tracy headed for third base. Adults stood up in the stands cheering on. At third she stopped but her parents and her coach were near by. "Go Tracy, go -- head for home." She started for home --- and then it happened --- during all of the cheering and row a twelve year old geriatric dog had settled down between third and home base. As Tracy approached, the dog got up and wagged its tail. The tongue hung out, and the mouth pulled back in an unmistakable smile. Tracy stopped right there, 30 feet from a once-in-a lifetime homerun. Her coach fell on his knees behind the home base pleading. The crowd continued to cheer --- she looked up at her parents who were catching it all on video. She looked at the dog. Everything went into slow motion --- she went for the dog. There was a moment of complete stunned silence and then --- perhaps not as loud, but certainly deeper, longer and more heartfelt --- everybody applauded as Tracy fell to her knees to hug the dog.


If this story doesn't move you, then you are nothing but a gorbellied hedge-born death-token!

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