Swat1
05-08-2001, 11:43 AM
THIS ONE WILL MAKE YOU THINK!!!
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 the 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 I 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 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
closer 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 the 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."
Don't just take a kid fishing take a "Special Kid" fishing You may make a memory of a life time for a kid that may not have many.
Dan
Swat 1
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 the 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 I 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 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
closer 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 the 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."
Don't just take a kid fishing take a "Special Kid" fishing You may make a memory of a life time for a kid that may not have many.
Dan
Swat 1