Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 G! P6 L: m' v> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; M9 A: j& q: C* u" C# V> same choice?
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5 c3 q  q: f  E6 M( r% F( T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( I2 k5 H0 {9 p% z+ N! r> 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:
>
6 c3 z4 [0 t$ T9 ~  _4 G> '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.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
8 j" ?7 ~, g/ s; T3 R> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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0 C9 W4 p9 {9 i/ o# a9 K> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
* Z8 B% _! d7 V4 G7 ?3 V% y> 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
4 `# L, H" N  m2 n) D3 P9 l: y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
0 A' _- N+ r# ]  o- P> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
> 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.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% i) I% i7 O' p# c* W$ S/ x> 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
7 N8 P$ H2 s5 S8 F0 s0 h+ G$ W& r> next at bat.
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> 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
$ Q3 m& H2 b. Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ i6 [# @. T0 P% M1 S! Z: L> much less connect with the ball.
  S- ~1 ]% `3 u7 i> 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
9 X. s( @4 _+ S# Z: Q# a; d> 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
5 z5 g: H& b/ ?6 z: F9 |$ J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
" |' S* z1 @9 G8 ~$ D0 x> 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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> 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
6 W8 [% t2 ?) L- U& ^$ F; j( I8 q> 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
3 R, U6 n- X0 a> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
7 t- I& F" m" X5 f' K> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 Q2 n0 B( {. A# \! \' E. m5 c> 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
7 a) Q: I4 w- m: P, U3 w> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  @& j- R5 j9 ?$ |+ `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
0 X1 r0 [. D0 }( J4 y6 c. Q> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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" i( v2 |; C2 J0 C) u> 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!'
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# `4 Q+ f9 q6 f" I9 m( }> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: p9 N& B* l; ?. t, M> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
) E$ p' J7 y+ u3 n% p> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ N  f: l) F1 }0 s> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) t$ W- G5 r/ U" K, p' o, c> into this world'.
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> 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!
>
( I8 N6 R# [' w3 Q, u6 |> 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
( k; S5 A( u2 _# v2 Z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) A% T! [0 [/ U- n) B8 l> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- a+ q) \( c7 B1 ^2 ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* k/ B0 f7 G9 ^" i$ ?8 U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 ?# ~" S& _* B% w5 f> 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
% D6 j4 s6 }3 a3 ?> 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
; |! S5 ~- }* a" {; b+ `5 {3 k> bit colder in the process?
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) X& w) O; P) n% Q+ ^6 a; q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& a9 [8 B3 }/ c: V4 b> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
: T6 C; x+ c* q& D8 H; j> 1. Delete
6 C$ Z- ?" Q3 \: E8 p7 `> 2. Forward
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" G) L8 o: V, Z: ^/ [4 A5 {2 J> May your day, be a Shay Day.