Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
$ ]; Y$ }1 s; B& d, `  Y% y* L> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 U9 ]& E$ U" M9 g$ {. x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
0 p# e' z# r# V- U2 m1 d) h" }> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
9 N9 x+ G; s( r> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 ]3 C! w  j; ?* @> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# Z4 w7 B* I' U5 y1 [3 f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
6 K4 ^' W* g2 s  a> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 o6 i$ [5 K! s' H5 s3 I6 q5 ^> 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
6 Z9 |! y6 P2 [4 ?8 Y" }3 L> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ T) o% v+ R/ k# L+ G; q> 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
- u$ |0 j/ b7 R6 i& G& z> 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
0 P+ U% t  I) B% V> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
& W4 u* T' e" u' F4 t" Y" f> 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
7 C% T3 @7 C2 r; V+ Z> 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
. L$ y8 S) j+ X+ j4 F> 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
  N4 u# g1 `7 L% x> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 U* T0 d7 K3 b" A. r> 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
. q( j( p0 t& U# w# J> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  w; |8 t: m! O% L  ]> 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.
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4 V+ q' E( I* |: U7 Q% u& F4 p> 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
/ W3 J8 c  e, W+ Y$ Y  J> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
7 i9 x& M7 ~5 X; q  M  S> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
- \( Z2 P+ K6 E/ N% D# K> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* Y$ X+ h3 N' e: V& M> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
! |( ?# Y+ v. w; W' a/ k/ L6 G> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* ], g" _; P6 {5 g" \; V- \5 N> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
3 z9 E7 H& i1 I2 a. X5 t> circled the bases toward home.
>
0 R$ Q9 r# \) w( {0 }. `> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( V& T" L6 V, W9 r% W6 u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) `3 _% d" J3 u( w> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
7 P* U) t# M; U: W7 i" ?> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
# n! K$ _+ W* h> game for his team.
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7 U. u, ~8 u' l! O> '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
/ a! ^! @' E: j> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 @6 [3 S9 Y1 P( ]+ G: R+ s> 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!
>
, T' E3 k/ n6 `: Y$ ]) A& A  X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 p$ y2 K; J7 a- l" N1 C" k> 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
( X. U( S& I/ J6 S6 [2 z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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6 [  y& N& G3 e> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" y, j0 N; ~9 o+ M, r8 X* b/ c> 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
6 y: d; _# Z$ e0 v8 w! S> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
3 ~/ t9 _" T1 @* d5 I. G> 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
+ a! E) H+ X& K+ I) h7 E9 K0 Y( E8 y> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 T) F1 E( N& M$ e/ X5 ^> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
( H1 x5 T7 Z- ?- l0 Y- X  N' ], y, u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
# g9 o; U8 W+ C! ]& x% V/ f, r1 G> May your day, be a Shay Day.