« Home | Next: Critter's Cooings IV »
| Next: It's A Boy!!! »
| Next: Olive Oil »
| Next: Can You Hear Me Now?? »
| Next: Nice Matters »
| Next: Long Overdue »
| Next: Wreck »
| Next: Brain-Strain »
| Next: M.I.A. »
| Next: Prayers »

RA-Related

Policy

Helpful

Recent

Archives





Site Feed: RSS










Sunday, October 07, 2007

A True Act of Kindness

This is so worth reading. Keep your handkerchief close!

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 other children 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 (not expecting much) if Shay could play. 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 and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with 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 was scheduled 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 and 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, recognizing that the other team was 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 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. 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 first baseman's head, 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 run that far, but he 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 the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so 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.

All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, : 'Shay, run home! 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. He 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 share thousands of jokes through the Internet without a second thought, but when it comes to sharing messages about life choices, people hesitate. 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 sharing this message, chances are that you're probably considering people who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to read this type of post. Well, the person who shares 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 those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

May your day, be a Shay Day!

2 Peter 1: 5-8
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

17 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Corry,
What an inspiring story! We could learn so much from stories such as these and actually apply them to our own lives. We come across people every day that need that touch of humanity. Thank you for sharing this :)

October 07, 2007 8:54 PM  
Blogger Saija said...

i had read this before ... good thing, cause i didn't have a kleenex handy!

and i don't know if i mentioned this to you before, but my sister maria, has rheumatoid arthritis too (diabetes being her #1 diagnosis) ... i do know the flares are terrible ...

heaven will be heavenly without the pain!

blessings on you!

October 07, 2007 9:35 PM  
Blogger audrey` said...

Dearest Corry

You're right, Lieve Zus. True love and humanity are so essential in the world =)
I see them in you!

(((HUGS)))

October 08, 2007 12:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

morning sis,
cool post,
have a great day!

huggs

sis

October 08, 2007 7:59 AM  
Blogger Corry said...

Christy,
So good to see you. How are you doing?

I agree with you, there are so many who need this act of kindness. If we would all apply it to our lives, the world would be a so much better place!

Blessings to you, dear sister.

Saija,
It was send to us by e-mail and too good not to share.

I am so sorry to hear about Maria. God bless her. I don't know what meds she is on, but she may want to discus Humira, Enbrel or Remicade with her rheumatologist. The Humira was a God's gift for and to me! No more flare-ups, no more pain and the deformations have been stopped.

I will remember her in my prayers (as well as you and Leo).

Many blessings to y'all!

Audrey,
If you were trying to make me blush, you did a good job! haha.

Thanks, Lieve Zus, but we all have a great example in you! :-)

(((HUGS)))

Janice,
Thanks, dear sis. Was a long read too, huh?!

Have a great and blessed day as well.

(((HUGS)))

God's Grace.

October 08, 2007 12:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good story, Corry.

I've read it before, but it's definitely worth reading again . . . and again.

Hope you all are doing all.

Cheers & Blessings to you all today! Dee

of Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

October 08, 2007 4:28 PM  
Blogger Gary said...

Hi, Corry!!

Congrats on the second grandson! When's he due? My due date is Valentine's, and Leo can't be far from that, right?

We just got back from a week in Ukraine. It was very nice, though we missed the boys tremendously! I'm going to have to post some photos.

Lenise

October 08, 2007 8:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Corry, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful story of love and compassion. We could all use a little more of both. What a difference it would make in the world. I had not heard this story before. What a blessing it was to me today. Hope all is well with you. You have been in my prayers.

October 09, 2007 8:58 AM  
Blogger Corry said...

Dee,
It definitely is worth reading again. I think it shows where to put the proper value in life.

We are doing allright, thanks! :-)
Still extremely busy but it seems things are heading in the right direction and God is blessing.
And how are y'all doing?

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Lenise,
Thank you and you are right, Leo is due end of Februari, so the babies both are pretty close together. How are you doing? I hope all is well.

Brushed up on your Russian? Oh, I sure hope you had a great week, even though you missed the boys. Please, do post some pics! Looking forward to them.

Many blessings to y'all and hug those little rascals for me! :-)

Amy,
How are y'all doing? So good to hear from you.

Thank you so much for your prayers! I know they helped, God has and is giving us so many blessings, even though it doesn't always seem to go the way we think it should. But He knows best! :-)

The world sure would be a better place. There is a Dutch saying that goes like this: "Better the world, start with yourself."
And stories like this only instill a greater desire in me to practice the fruits of the Holy Spirit more! :-)

Blessing to you, dear sister and I will remember y'all in my prayers.

God's Grace.

October 10, 2007 3:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that was really an act of kindness. very inspiring. it feels good to do something for others and you know that it'll make the other feel blessed. it feels good that God uses you to bless others.

October 11, 2007 3:09 AM  
Blogger Kitty Cheng said...

Corry, thanks for this inspiring story.

By the way, ou are awarded, please see:

http://kittycheng.blogspot.com/2...lous- award.html

October 11, 2007 9:03 AM  
Blogger Redeemed said...

Soooo beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

October 11, 2007 8:31 PM  
Blogger Corry said...

Pia,
I so agree. It's so much better to give then to receive!

Someone's is having a Birthday!!! :-)
Happy Birthday, girl. May God bless you abundantly.

luv ya!!

Kitty,
You are most welcome and it's so good to see you back.

Awww, thank you so much. That's really sweet and I will check it out asap.

(((HUGS))) dear sister.

Sarah,
Most welcome, girl.
I hadn't read this before I got it and it was too good not to share.

Have a very blessed weekend, lil sis.

God's Grace.

October 13, 2007 9:02 AM  
Blogger jel said...

hey sis,
hope all is well with y'all !

huggs!

October 13, 2007 9:11 PM  
Blogger Corry said...

Janice,
Doing ok, still busy. There just doesn't seem to come an end to it. sigh.
Oh well, God knows all about it and won't put more on us then we can bear. :-)

Have a very blessed Sunday, sis!

(((HUGS)))

God's Grace.

October 14, 2007 6:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.

November 10, 2008 7:50 AM  
Blogger Corry said...

Marcy,
You are most welcome.

God's Grace.

November 10, 2008 9:09 AM  

Post a Comment

Copyright © Corryc 2005 - 2014