Posted by Cheryl (152.163.213.211) on May 31, 2001 at 18:52:41:
Shay's Story
<< This will give you cold chills, but puts life into
> > perspective!
> >
> > At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves
> > learning-disabled children, the father of one of the
> > school's 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.
> >
> > "Everything God 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 God's plan reflected in my son?"
> >
> > The audience was stilled by the query.
> >
> > The father continued. "I believe," the father answered,
> > "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world,
> > an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself.
> > And it comes in the way 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 will let me play?"
> >
> > Shay's father knew that most boys would not want
> > him on their team. But the father understood that if his
> > son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed
> > sense of belonging.
> >
> > Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and
> > asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance
> > from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his
> > own hands and said, "We are 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 up to bat in the ninth inning."
> >
> > In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few
> > runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning,
> > Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits
> > came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be 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 bases loaded, the potential winning run was on
> base.
> >
> > Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team
> > actually let Shay bat at this juncture 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 moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly
so
> Shay could at least be able to 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 toward Shay.
> >
> > As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow
> > ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder
and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would
have been out and that would have ended the game.
> >
> > Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high
> > arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.
> > Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first."
> > Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered
down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
> >
> > Everyone yelled "Run to second, run to second!" By the time
> > Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He
could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right
fielder
> > understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the
ball
> high and far over the third baseman's head.
> >
> > Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him
> > deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second
base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of
third
base, and shouted, "Run to third!"
> >
> > As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were
> > screaming, "Shay! Run home!"
> >
> > Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the
> > hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning 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 the
> Divine Plan into this world."
> >
> > And now, a footnote to the story. We all send thousands of
> > jokes through e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to
> sending messages regarding life choices, people think twice about
sharing. The
> > crude, vulgar, and sometimes the obscene pass freely through
cyberspace, but public discussion of decency is too often suppressed in
school and the workplace.
> >
> > If you are thinking about forwarding this message, you are
> > probably thinking about which people on your address list aren't
> > the "appropriate" ones to receive this type of message.
> >
> > The person who sent this to you believes that we can all make
> > a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities a day to help
> realize
> >
> > God's plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> > present us with a choice:
> >
> > Do we pass along a spark of the Divine? Or do we pass up
> > that opportunity, and leave the world a bit colder in the process?
> >
> > You have two choices now:
> >
> > 1. Delete this.
> >
> > 2. Forward it to the people you care about. >>
Love you Guys,
Cheryl