Baseball

[Guest guest]

Hey guys!

This was good and thought I would share it with ya.

Have a great weekend!

Horsley > >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 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 > >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 n 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? - >Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. >Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). >Version: 6.0.613 / Virus Database: 392 - Release Date: 3/4/2004

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