I <3 teh mushy stoof...
People always say how mean kids can be, never how nice they can be.
This story will either make you cry, give you cold chills or just leave you cold, but it 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 that 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 the boys would not want him on their team. But the
father understood that if his son were allowed to play it
would give him 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 the 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."
This story will either make you cry, give you cold chills or just leave you cold, but it 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 that 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 the boys would not want him on their team. But the
father understood that if his son were allowed to play it
would give him 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 the 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."