Shay Day

[xenaswampjumper 0]

A story I am sure that many of you have read, but one I thought would be great to re-read!!!
Subject: 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 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 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 his father so happy, and coming

home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and
often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion
about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
"appropriate" ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
sent you this believes that we all can make a

difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to
help realize the "natural order of things." So many seemingly trivial
interactions between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass
along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those
opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least
fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward


May your day, be a Shay Day.

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[jtval 0]

that'sa very touching strory but one of the first sentences concerns me.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children

I wonder what they taste like?

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[xenaswampjumper 0]

oh that was funny!!!!! I totally missed that!!!

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[mamajumps 0]

Thanks for sharing... im crying at my desk now....

I have worked with handicapped children in equine therapy alot, it is truly a beautiful thing when a challenged child competes and wins on their own on a horse.

[jtval 0]

Yea. I figured most people would.
That's a screwy school.

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[TheAnvil 0]

I've found that some of the most beautiful and wonderful hearts mankind has to offer are often hidden beneath striking eyes.

Two of those eyes are shining through this post, I might add....

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[xenaswampjumper 0]

Wow...how awesome!!! I have always wanted to do that. We had a program like that when I was growing up and used to show horses. It was very fun watching the enthusiasm!!!!!!!

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[jtval 0]

are you smitten with my avatar

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[TheAnvil 0]

I said TWO eyes...

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[jtval 0]

well if you count, I have two eyes.and then you go to 3 etc.

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[TheAnvil 0]

I don't need to count higher than two when it comes to eyes...

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[jtval 0]

precisely. so stop counting. LOL

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[xenaswampjumper 0]

Quote

I've found that some of the most beautiful and wonderful hearts mankind has to offer are often hidden beneath striking eyes.

Two of those eyes are shining through this post, I might add....

aaaawwwwwwhhhhh thanks sweetie!!!! so you are saying that you love my eyes??? haha

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[xenaswampjumper 0]

Quote

are you smitten with my avatar

you are on a roll today!!!!! haha, that was funny

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[jtval 0]

Thanks

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[TheAnvil 0]

Yes, but 'tis the heart beneath that hath captured mine.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[marcandalysse 0]

hmm....the anvil poetically reveals his true feelings from across the planet.....good for ya both!

mp

"The reason angels can fly is that they take themselves so lightly." --GK Chesterton

[xenaswampjumper 0]

well dear, your heart is the amazing one!

Thanks for always being able to make everyone around you have a shay day and feel great!!!! You are my hero!!!!
good night to you anvil!!!!

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[jtval 0]

did you just call him autistic?

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[gonzalesna 1]

autistic kids rock

Some people refrain from beating a dead horse. Personally, I find a myriad of entertainment value when beating it until it becomes a horse-smoothie.

[Sweetness 0]

Quote

Thanks for sharing... im crying at my desk now....

Me too ...
Thanks Xena, that was beautiful, just what I needed to end this not-so-good day ... I can end it in a Shay way now

"Ha ! I laugh at danger and drop ice cubes down the vest of fear ..." (Blackadder)

[xenaswampjumper 0]

Quote

did you just call him autistic?

HAHA......funny, but he is just the type of guy that would be that pitcher!!!!!! he has created lots of shay days in his own way for lots of people!!!!!

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates....
In skydiving, the only thing that stops you is the ground..............
PMS# 472 Muff #3863 TPM#95

[Broke 0]

say the title of this thread fast
shady

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[jtval 0]

Quote

Quote

did you just call him autistic?

HAHA......funny, but he is just the type of guy that would be that pitcher!!!!!! he has created lots of shay days in his own way for lots of people!!!!!

OKay. I was just making sure.

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