FW: Decency is still among us! :) ----- Original Message ----- From: Carl Haefling To: Monk White Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 11:55 AM Subject: Fw: Decency is still among us! :) ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Hersman To: 1Sandie ; Gil & Jenny ; barb & dick ; Myfamsix@aol.com ; Pam Strick ; Carl Haefling ; crystal ; rose reyna Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 8:41 AM Subject: Fw: Decency is still among us! :) ----- Original Message ----- From: Nancy Christian To: Anita (E-mail) ; Chelsea (E-mail) ; Jeannine (E-mail) ; Jimmy (E-mail) ; Mary Hersman (E-mail) ; Nikki (E-mail) ; Tanckk (E-mail) ; Thomas (E-mail) ; Wanda (E-mail) Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 11:28 AM Subject: FW: Decency is still among us! :) -----Original Message----- From: Paula C. Gavlen Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 11:10 AM To: Barbara J. Holyko; Nancy Christian Subject: Decency is still among us! :) > >Perspectives.... > > > >This will give you cold chills, but puts life into perspective! > > > >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 toward second base as the runners > >ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward 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? > > > >You have two choices now: > > > >1. Delete this. > > > >2. Forward it to the people you care about. > > > >You know the choice I made.