Really worth reading ………….


At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning disabled
children, the father of one of the 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:
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done
with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as otherchildren do. He
cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of
things in my son?"
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay,
physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an
opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes, in the
way other 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'll let me play?"
Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like
Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed
to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence
to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could
play, not expecting much. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're
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 in to bat in the ninth inning."
Shay struggled over to the team's bench, put on a team shirt with a
broad smile and his Father had a small tear in his eye and warmth in
his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind
by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously
ecstatic just to be in the game and 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 and Shay wasscheduled to be next at bat. At this
juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.
Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible 'cause 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, recognizing the other
team putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in 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 towards Shay. As the pitch came in,
Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over, but the pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out
and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the
ball right over the head of the first baseman, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first!
Run to first!"
Never in his life had Shay ever ran that far but made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone
yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and
struggling to make it to second base. By the time Shay rounded towards second
base, the right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their team, who had a
chance to be the hero for his team for the first time.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he
understood the pitcher's intentions and he too intentionally threw the ball high
and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as
the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. As Shay neared third
base, the opposing shortstop ran to help him and turned him in the direction of
third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!"
All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay"
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams and those watching were on their
feet were screaming, "Shay, run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate,
and was cheered as the hero who hit the "grand slam" and won 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 true love and humanity into this world.
Shay didn't make it to another summer and died that winter, having
never forgotten being the hero and making his Father so happy and
coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND, NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all
send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought,
but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people think twice
about sharing. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through
cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our
schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that
you're probably sorting out the people on your address list that aren't the
"appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent
you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of
opportunities every single day to help realize the "natural order of things." So
many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up that
opportunity to brighten the day of those with us the least able, and leave the
world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's
least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Pass it on
May your day, be a Shay Day, sunny today tomorrow & always!
Success is failure turned inside out; the silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
and you never can tell how close you are; it may be near when it seems afar; so
stick to the fights when you're hardest hit; it's when things go wrong that you
must not quit."
"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.."
"It does not matter how much I have,but what really matters is, what I do with
what I have !!! "

Uncle Auckland,

You're making me :crying: and :blownose:






But :liebe011: for the reminder...
:)

:cat: Hi there Ampangbear.

It had the same effect on me. :(

That is why I said 'try reading this'. It must have been very hard to deliver that speech. It must have been very hard to listen to also.

Cheers :right:

I'm working nights at the moment.
Now all I want to do is go home and hug my wife and kids.

My youngest sister is disabled (downs syndrome), although not a terminal condition, I do know how Shay's father was touched by such acts of kindness and good nature.

Very moving to say the least.

Stu.

I know THIS feeling, dude...

:grouphug: