Hi Friends,
I shared the following story a couple years ago and thought of it today as I was nudging myself to remember just how beautiful people can be. It’s from Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book, The Power of Intention. Click the audio above if you’d rather hear me read it.
I encourage you to let yourself feel the compassion and love in this story. Yes, there are too many examples of humans treating other humans horrifically. And, there are many more stories of humans showering others with kindness, compassion and love. The following is one such story.
From The Power of Intention, by Dr. Wayne Dyer:
In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-
disabled children. Some children remain for their entire
school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional
school. At a school fund raiser dinner, the father of a Chush child
delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.
After praising 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 knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they'll
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 was chosen to play, it would give
him a sense of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys on
the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for
guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his
own hands 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
up 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 in center field. In the bottom of
the eighth 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 had 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, 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 could at
least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in, and Shaya
swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates 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 pitcher came in, Shaya and his
teammate swung the bat, 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 the 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 baseman 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 toward second base
as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home.
As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop 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".
Anyone else crying?
Our most pure instincts are to help one another. To cheer on one another. To show compassion for one another. These instincts live in our hearts and become more accessible to us the more we commit to living in our hearts.
These days, I keep coming back to the question: How do I want to show up, no matter what’s happening in the world around me? And I keep coming back to the same answer: as a messenger and example of love.
This is my work. My commitment. My gift. I will continue to do my best to stay aligned with love, no matter what, and let myself be led by the guidance of my heart. And I will continue to do my best to check myself when I’m not doing so.
I love you all, and I thank you for being here.
xoxo
Scott
REGISTER HERE
This story will touch your heart.