Return-path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Full-name: Wildgun2 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 11:02:25 EDT Subject: GET OUT THE KLEENEX To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Mailer: 8.0 for Windows sub 6024 X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative by demime 1.01d X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
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<FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=5 PTSIZE=18 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE=" 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." > 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 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? > > You have two choices now: > > 1. Delete this. > 2. Forward it to the people you care about. > You know the choice I made. > > > > > > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
