This has been by me before but for those of you who didn't get it the
first time take the time to read it. Enjoy, Mag
A little story to brighten your day, . . .
. . . . 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 fund-raising 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 at this
juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but
impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
let
alone 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 and
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 toward 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.

"Mental toughness and perseverance is the formula for success"
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