Very Inspiring

[Dan Reid]

THIS IS GREAT !

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 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 (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. 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 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 wit! h the ba ll.

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 his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

[Caraccioli]

The really cool thing about this story is that is true. (A lot of these email stories are completely fabricated, but I verified this one a few years ago.)

[Red Cat Jenny]

This will sound untypical, but I have learned that death can be a great equalizer, making it obvious how petty life can be.

More moments like this if it's real and you say it is..should occur.

[Black Bess]

That's a great story, and I don't care if it's real or not.

It reminds me of a story a teacher of mine once said...even though it obviously wasn't real.

Thanks for sharing.

[oderlesseye]

the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world".

[Black Hearted Pearl]

As the mother of a son who attends a school for learning disabled children, I have heard this story several times before. It's a story, but that is all it is. I could give you a dozen reasons why I don't think this story is great, but some lessons you have to learn in life and not be told them.

Such as:

1. 'typical' little league teams will not let disabled children play with them. That's why they have 'special olympics' for the physcially disabled.

2. That having a disabled kid hit "homeruns" on every pitch isn't playing with them, it's placating them.

Anyway, not to burst your 'feel good' bubble, but ask yourself, how often do you SEE acts of compassion and how many came from you.

[Caraccioli]

As the mother of a son who attends a school for learning disabled children, I have heard this story several times before. It's a story, but that is all it is.

Not to take away from your points (some of which are echoed in the link below), but it is supposedly a true story. The version above has some of the details edited out.

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/chush.htm

[Duchess]

And I'd like to point out that people behave like this all the time, even toward non-disabled people. Walk up to any game in any rec center or park and ask to join. As soon as they know you're incompetent (in one way or another) chances are very strong that those people will take it easy on you. Make shots you can hit or catch or bend the rules for you. All this provided of course you're not an ass. Try it out.

Yes they are placating your inability to play the game properly, but that doesn't make it mean spirited. It just makes them polite.

[Caraccioli]

And I'd like to point out that people behave like this all the time, even toward non-disabled people. Walk up to any game in any rec center or park and ask to join. As soon as they know you're incompetent (in one way or another) chances are very strong that those people will take it easy on you. Make shots you can hit or catch or bend the rules for you. All this provided of course you're not an ass. Try it out.

Yes they are placating your inability to play the game properly, but that doesn't make it mean spirited. It just makes them polite.

Yeah, there are (at least) two ways to look at this story. One is to examine the potential for psychological damage to the person receiving charity and the other is to look at the actions of the people providing charity.

I would venture to say that it is unusual for boys to behave in this manner toward other boys their age in almost any circumstance. (I know I was passed over several times when picking teams... ) So it could also be viewed as being quite a giving act on the part of the boys - especially a group of boys.

If you discourage or scold such behavior...well, you've done a different sort of psychological (and even societal) damage, haven't you? In fact, if you pull back your POV far enough, you could say that all charity is damaging in a similar way to the receiving party. Should we all stop being charitable?

It really depends on how you choose to perceive the story.

As for charitable acts of compassion - well, I see one going on in this forum right now. I also work with the Jaycees and Rotary and I see them happening all the time. It depends on where you look.

[Rumba Rue]

Times have certainly changed....

In my younger years, having to wear a back brace from 6th grade to 9th grade (in hopes of preventing my scoliosis from getting worse), I was ridiculed, made fun of and even one teacher preyed horribly on my disability (I was transferred out of her class and she was rep-remanded). I came home from school everyday and cried. I only had one girlfriend who cared enough to be my friend. It was a very horrible time in my life and it did a nasty number on my brain for years afterwards.

Nowadays, the majority of people no longer act the way they did when I was growing up. Most are very compassionate and caring....times have certainly changed....