What would you do?
You make the choice! Don't look for a punch line;
There isn't one!
Read it anyway.
My question to all of you is: Would you have made the
same choice?
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 if Shay could play, not expecting much. The
boy looked around for guidance and a few boys
nodded approval, why not? So 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 in to bat in the ninth
inning." Shay struggled over to the team's bench put
on a team shirt with a broad smile and his Father had
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 'cause
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 the other team 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
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 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, but 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
head of the first baseman, 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 ran that far but 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 second base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the
right fielder had the ball, the smallest guy on their
team, who had a chance to be the hero for
his team for the first time. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions and 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, the opposing shortstop ran
to help him and turned 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
those watching were on their feet were screaming,
"Shay, 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 and 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!
