[pf] A story from New York.

· On GreenViews NZ this morning. Definitely for the Positive Futures list.

Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 10:53:03 +1300
From: Jon Field <.-.-.@xtra.co.nz>
To: David MacClement <davd@ihug.co.nz>
Subject: [GV]A true story

What a delightful story.
It brought tears to my eyes too. 
Thanks for that, Jeremy
Jon

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeremy Hall [mailto:.-.-.@kiwilink.co.nz]
Subject: [GV]A true story

 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 main-streamed 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 Shaya? 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 Shaya:

 One afternoon, Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys
Shaya new were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you  think they will let
me play?" Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that
most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood
that if his son were chosen to play it would give him a comfortable sense
of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and
asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his
team-mates.
 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." Shaya's
father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly.
 Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play short centre field.

 In the bottom of the eight inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team
scored again and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the potential
winning run on base.  Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually
let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but
impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let
alone hit with it. However as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher
moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya should at least be
able to make contact.

 The first pitch came and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's
team-mates came up to Shaya 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 Shaya. As the pitch came in, Shaya
and his team-mate 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. Shaya 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, "Shaya, run to first. Run to first."
 Never in his life had Shaya 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 base man
who would tag out Shaya, 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''. Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him
deliriously circled the bases towards home.   As Shaya reached second base,
the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third
base and shouted,  "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from
both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya run home." Shaya 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 simple it is for people to trash different ways of living and
believing, and then wonder why the world is going to hell...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
sent on by David.


(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
http://www.emucities.com.au/member/davd/index.html
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