God at work

This will give you chills ... People always say how mean kids can

> > > > >>be, never how nice they can be.

> > > > >>This 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

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> > > > >>speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

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> > > > >>After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a

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> > > > >>question.

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> > > > >>"Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son Shay

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> > > > >>cannot

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> > > > >>learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as

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> > > > >>other

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> > > > >>children do.

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> > > > >>Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled

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> > > > >>by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father

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> > > > >>answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world,

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> > > > >>an opportunity to realize the divine Plan presents itself and it

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> > > > >>comes in the way people treat that child."

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> > > > >> Then, he told the following story:

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> > > > >>Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay

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> > > > >>knew

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> > > > >>were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me

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> > > > >>play?" Shay's father knew that the boys would not want him on

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> > > > >>their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed

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> > > > >>to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.

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> > > > >> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked

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> > > > >>if

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> > > > >>Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his

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> > > > >>teammates.

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> > > > >>Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are

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> > > > >>losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess

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> > > > >>he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the

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> > > > >>ninth inning." In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team

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> > > > >>scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the

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> > > > >>ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield.

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> > > > >>Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be

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> > > > >>on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him

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> > > > >>from the stands.

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> > > > >> In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

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> > > > >>Now,

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> > > > >>with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was

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> > > > >>on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team

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> > > > >>actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance

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> > > > >>to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone

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> > > > >>knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even

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> > > > >>know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

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> > > > >>However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few

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> > > > >>steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to

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> > > > >>make contact.

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> > > > >> The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The

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> > > > >>pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly

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> > > > >>toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit

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> > > > >>a slow ground ball to the pitcher.

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> > > > >> The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have

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> > > > >>thrown

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> > > > >>the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that

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> > > > >>would

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> > > > >>have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw

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> > > > >>it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first

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> > > > >>baseman.

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> > > > >> Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first, run to first."

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> > > > >>Never

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> > > > >>in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down

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> > > > >>the

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> > > > >>baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "run to second,

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> > > > >>run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the

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> > > > >>right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the

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> > > > >>second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the

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> > > > >>pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far

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> > > > >>over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the

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> > > > >>runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.

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> > > > >> As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him,

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> > > > >>turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "run to

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> > > > >>third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were

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> > > > >>screaming, "Shay! run home!"

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> > > > >>Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero

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> > > > >>for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team. "That

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> > > > >>day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,

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> > > > >>"the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan

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> > > > >>into this world."

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