[Cousin Janet forwarded this thought-provoking story going around the ‘net]
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? Listen to this father’s story:
“My son Shay is mentally and physically disabled but his life gives an
opportunity to show how true human nature presents itself. 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.