An Inspiring Story

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
> who 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 most 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 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 in 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 thousands of
> opportunities a day to help realize
> your God's plan. So many seemingly
> trivial interactions between two
> people present us with a choice: Do
> we pass along a spark of the Divine?
> Or do we pass up that opportunity,
> and leave the world a bit colder in the
> process?

Live and Love,
~Fire Spirit
>
> Thank you for thinking about it.

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!

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