Two Choices
What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is:
Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serveslearning-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 aquestion:
"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 itcomes 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 ere
playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"Shay's
father knew that most of the boys would notwant someone like Shay on thei
team, but te 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 ofhis handicaps.
Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy lookedaround for guidance and
said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is inthe 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 tohim 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'teven 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 insoftly 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 totoss the ball softly towards
Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung atthe 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 it
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!
May your day, be a Shay Day
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Originally Posted by Hitcher
"Speak in short, homely words of common usage"
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