mhayes
05-29-2001, 10:56 PM
I recieved this in an Email from my Dad today, it's not overly religious, it just kind of puts things in perspective.
In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters
to learning disabled children. Some children remain in
Chush for their entire school career, while others can
be mainstreamed into conventional schools.
At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush
child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten
by all who attended. After extolling the school and
its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the
perfection in my son, Shay? Everything God does is done with
perfection. But my child cannot understand things as
other children do. My child cannot remember facts and
figures as other children do."
Where is God's perfection? The audience was shocked by
the question, pained by the father's anguish and
stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the
father answered, "that when God brings a child like
this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is
in the way people react to this child."
He then told the following story about his son Shay:
One afternoon, Shay and his father 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 his son was not at all athletic and
that most boys would not want him on their team. But
Shay's father understood that if his son was chosen
to play it would give him a comfortable sense of
belonging.
Shay's father approached one of the boys in 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."
Shay's father was ecstatic as Shay smiled broadly.
Shay was told to put on a glove and go out to play
short center field. In the bottom of the eighth
inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
behind by three.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored
again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with
the potential winning run on base.> Shay was scheduled
to be up. Would the team actually let Shay bat?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew
that it was all but impossible because Shay didn't
even know how to hold he bat properly, letalone hit
with it.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher
moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay
should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and
missed. One of Shay's teammates came up to Shay and
together they held the bat and faced the pitcher
waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a
few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay and his teammate swung at
the ball and together they 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 run to first. He
scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed ands startled.
By the time he reached first base, the right fielder
had the ball.
He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman
who would tag out Shay, who was still running. But the
right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions
were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third
baseman's head.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shay
ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him
deliriously circled the bases towards home.
As Shay reached second base, the opposing short stop
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 ran
behind him screaming, "Shay run home." Shay ran home,
stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on
their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just
hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
That day," said the father softly with tears now
rolling down his face,"those 18 boys reached their
level of God's perfection."
Funny how this is so true!
Funny how simple it is for people to trash different
ways of living and believing and then wonder why the
world is going to hell.
Funny how people can send a thousand 'jokes' through
e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when one
starts sending messages regarding life choices,people
think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass
freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of
morality is too often suppressed in school and the
workplace.
Funny how when you go to forward this message (if you
choose to forward it), you will not send it to many
on your address list because you're not sure what
they believe, or what they will think of you for
sending it to them.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other
people think of us than what we think of ourselves.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
and a time when you can choose either to make a
difference or just hit delete.
Keep reaching for that level of perfection.
In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters
to learning disabled children. Some children remain in
Chush for their entire school career, while others can
be mainstreamed into conventional schools.
At a Chush fundraising dinner, the father of a Chush
child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten
by all who attended. After extolling the school and
its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the
perfection in my son, Shay? Everything God does is done with
perfection. But my child cannot understand things as
other children do. My child cannot remember facts and
figures as other children do."
Where is God's perfection? The audience was shocked by
the question, pained by the father's anguish and
stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the
father answered, "that when God brings a child like
this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is
in the way people react to this child."
He then told the following story about his son Shay:
One afternoon, Shay and his father 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 his son was not at all athletic and
that most boys would not want him on their team. But
Shay's father understood that if his son was chosen
to play it would give him a comfortable sense of
belonging.
Shay's father approached one of the boys in 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."
Shay's father was ecstatic as Shay smiled broadly.
Shay was told to put on a glove and go out to play
short center field. In the bottom of the eighth
inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
behind by three.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored
again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with
the potential winning run on base.> Shay was scheduled
to be up. Would the team actually let Shay bat?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew
that it was all but impossible because Shay didn't
even know how to hold he bat properly, letalone hit
with it.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher
moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay
should at least be able to make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and
missed. One of Shay's teammates came up to Shay and
together they held the bat and faced the pitcher
waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a
few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay and his teammate swung at
the ball and together they 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 run to first. He
scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed ands startled.
By the time he reached first base, the right fielder
had the ball.
He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman
who would tag out Shay, who was still running. But the
right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions
were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third
baseman's head.
Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second." Shay
ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him
deliriously circled the bases towards home.
As Shay reached second base, the opposing short stop
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 ran
behind him screaming, "Shay run home." Shay ran home,
stepped on home plate and all 18 boys lifted him on
their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just
hit a "grand slam" and won the game for his team.
That day," said the father softly with tears now
rolling down his face,"those 18 boys reached their
level of God's perfection."
Funny how this is so true!
Funny how simple it is for people to trash different
ways of living and believing and then wonder why the
world is going to hell.
Funny how people can send a thousand 'jokes' through
e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when one
starts sending messages regarding life choices,people
think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass
freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of
morality is too often suppressed in school and the
workplace.
Funny how when you go to forward this message (if you
choose to forward it), you will not send it to many
on your address list because you're not sure what
they believe, or what they will think of you for
sending it to them.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other
people think of us than what we think of ourselves.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
and a time when you can choose either to make a
difference or just hit delete.
Keep reaching for that level of perfection.