WOW! This story really touched me...
A F A T H E R ' S T A L K
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 kids Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay
asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that the kids 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 base player.
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.
She could have thrown the ball to second base for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the
pitcher's intentions had been, so she threw the ball high and far over the third base player's
head.
Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bass toward 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 kids 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 kids from both teams
helped bring a piece of God's plan into this world."
We can all make a difference. We all have dozens of opportunities a day to help realize God's
plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between people present us with a choice; do we pass along
a spark of the Divine love that God gives to us every day?
Or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?
A F A T H E R ' S T A L K
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 kids Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay
asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that the kids 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 base player.
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.
She could have thrown the ball to second base for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the
pitcher's intentions had been, so she threw the ball high and far over the third base player's
head.
Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bass toward 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 kids 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 kids from both teams
helped bring a piece of God's plan into this world."
We can all make a difference. We all have dozens of opportunities a day to help realize God's
plan. So many seemingly trivial interactions between people present us with a choice; do we pass along
a spark of the Divine love that God gives to us every day?
Or do we pass up that opportunity and leave the world a bit colder in the process?
