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Shay run Shay - Muslimah - 06-05-2008
Bismillah
I received this on an email, really touching. Although it is not from an Islamic source but much can be learnt.
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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 t o 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. 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, 'Sha y, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay re ached 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!
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
Shay run Shay - Muslimah - 06-09-2008
Bismillah
as salam alykom
Well, as far as I m concerned, I saw a lot in this story. I saw that it conveys what the real sense of winning is, it is when one wins against oneself, to give others priority over yourself, how to help others feel accepted, this is winning. to realize Allah's creation specially when this creation is different, while concurrently deeply realise the blessing of being normal, gain the reward of dealing with this different creation on a levelled manner, winning is not to win a game, yes this is winning of course. But the real sense is much more deeper than this I think. It is when you willingly appear losing because you are intending to bring joy to someone else's heart, specially when this someone is of a different creation. This is what I felt from this story.
Shay run Shay - Muslimah - 02-03-2009
Bismillah
I was browsing the board and came accross this thread, I re read it and actually it did the same to me as the first time. Sobhan Allah.
Shay run Shay - reepicheep - 02-03-2009
FYI, the boy in this story (Shaya) is Jewish. This story first appeared in the book "Echoes of the Maggid" by Rabbi Paysach Krohn. Rabbi Krohn says that the story is true and was told to him by the boy's father, who is a friend of Rabbi Krohn. The school mentioned in this story is the "Jewish Center for Special Education" in Brooklyn, New York, a school for Yiddish speaking children of Orthodox Hasidic Jews.
Shay run Shay - Karbala - 02-04-2009
Does it matter whether it is true or not (it may very well be). The moral of the story is important!
Shay run Shay - Muslimah - 02-04-2009
Bismillah
Reepi, is this all you wanted to say that the source is Jewish, did you read my introduction to the story, I said although it is not from an Islamic source, yet much lessons can be derived. Whether or not is true, lessons can easily still be derived for those who contemplate and have a mind to think.