Two Choices...

 Two Choices: 
 
My question is:

Would you have made the same choices? 
 
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves

children with learning disabilities, 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, who was mentally and

physically disabled comes intothe 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 I had walked past a park where

some boys Shay knew were playing baseball.

Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?'

I knew that most of the boys would not want

someone like Shay on their team, but as a
father I also understood that if my 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. 
 
I 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 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.

I watched with a small tear in my eye and

warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy
at my 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 I 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, '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 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

me so happy, and coming home and

seeing his Mother tearfully embrace

her little hero of the day!
 
A wise man once said that

every society is judged by how it
treats it's least fortunate amongst them. 
 
"Society does not go down because of

the activities of criminals,
But because of the inactivities of

the good people."
-Swami Vivekananda