Two Choices - must read

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 children with learning disabilities, the father of one ofthe students delivered a speech thatwould never be forgotten by all whoattended.
After extolling the schooland its dedicated staff, he offereda question:'When not interfered with byoutside influences, everything naturedoes, is done with perfection.Yet my son, Shay, cannot learnthings as other children do. He cannot understand thingsas other children do.Where is the natural order of things in my son?'The audience was stilled by thequery.
The father continued.'I believe that when a child like Shay,who was mentally and physicallydisabled comes into t! he world,an opportunity to realize true humannature presents itself, and it comesin the way other people treat that child.'Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a parkwhere some boys Shay knew wereplaying baseball. Shay asked,'Do you think they'll let me play?'I knew that most of the boys wouldnot want someone like Shayon their team, but as a father Ialso understood that if my son wereallowed to play, it would give him amuch-needed sense of belonging andsome confidence to be accepted byothers in spite of his handicaps..
I approached one of the boys on thefield and asked (not expecting much)if Shay could play. The boy lookedaround for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can beon our team and we'll try to put himin to bat in the ninth inning.

'Shay struggled over to the team'sbench and, with a broad smile, puton 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 basesloaded, the potential winning run wason base and Shay was scheduledto 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 as putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ballin softly so Shay could at leastmake contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.The pitcher again took a few stepsforward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.As the pitch came in, Shay swungat the ball and hit a slow groundball right back to the pitcher.The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the softgrounder 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 theball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and bothteams 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, a nd was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won thegame 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.....