a touching speech

[mc25t190]

> > 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
> > your 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.
> >
> > You know the choice I made [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
kevin hand

[LVCamaro]

Thanks, Kevin!

SS

[Steve Shauger]

Wow, thanks for sharing that Kevin. I think we can all relate to that, and learn.

[JTH74]

Thanks for sharing that Kevin! I bet there was not a dry eye there. I would like to think that all of us as parents can instill that level of compassion and understanding in our kids, and that would be our small way of making this a better world to live in and making our kids into great and caring people! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif[/img]

[MotownMadman]

Right on Kevin, each and every one of us CAN make a difference in this world, even if we think that one person cant change things. The teamwork that day on that ball team rose far above teamwork at baseball, they were using teamwork at life and decency. We can all take a lesson from that.
Thanks,
Motown [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif[/img]

[Seattle Sam]

A man is measured by how he treats his enemies, and how he treats the helpless and down-trodden.

This is a touching story, it shows how a little charity can go a long way...

Thanks, Kevin!
-Sam

[mc25t190]

when i read this i barely made it through the speech without breaking up, i couldn't imagine if i had been there live, they would have been rolling!

[John]

Thanks for sharing that with all of us.
..."life is not about what we "get"...
...it's about what we "give"." [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif[/img]