Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: x  y$ u0 J& y7 y* Y% R" n> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; w# n. X" X0 e; A' L$ `, q> 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
+ L: m% B1 |1 P! \* g; B* }' y; i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
$ U6 \) F9 A/ l/ U  e( w3 X8 b; d> staff, he offered a question:
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4 N1 S! c! D" u  W- R> '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
' U3 V7 `' K0 L" R0 a> natural order of things in my son?'
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" T# V9 {/ L' O+ D) Z( z> 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
$ Z+ o4 {) k8 E3 h5 X9 U> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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0 G  r$ }6 E& }/ V8 f> 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
> 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.
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; v8 ~% t& h/ J6 e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
% f8 a9 B( d8 {; s9 B7 F) t> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
6 _  H- l) G' l% A5 _2 o> 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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( C. ]4 f( y5 D5 G+ B> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 \8 T1 A( _% k, F> 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
3 N* [, k; L6 b3 s* v4 ?; I> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ p. K8 G$ J& S' W  h! l> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
# D3 V$ K0 I, _2 J! S# B> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" H9 d$ S/ \0 O1 u! G> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
% n5 x) |: A' g+ l# p8 Q& P5 o4 q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- m$ |2 I/ X1 }9 h; q& g> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 d/ `  G. u+ ~8 g; g> 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
) I& P% R8 S4 {$ H1 K1 a> 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
; l$ {; ^, Q$ ?* C> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% `1 I9 v3 o1 W5 }! B> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
3 P* D) y; r5 {$ k! o5 B> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
9 A$ a& Y; }" x8 {> 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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> 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.
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" y; F" c2 l. R4 i$ P1 Z/ X7 |. H> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 @0 N- R( f! R1 E> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) B5 R! b9 n+ B: D. V7 N> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
- m4 r( z+ e- x0 V  i! X> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: ?# \, S+ i4 W+ V6 E1 I) h) A" k( R> wide-eyed and startled.
>
) z6 p4 K- E3 ^3 i> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
3 B2 G5 t, l9 w0 h5 p> 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 intention So he,
4 s0 y: Z2 U' M9 T( S5 R> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; Q- l) }4 H" X& S7 {/ u> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ B" e) z; [: M7 Y8 g3 t> circled the bases toward home.
>
2 P- T; B( {' C4 \7 w( T1 I; x7 f> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% v! d- N4 Y# a3 f# I; U3 K7 W> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
4 Z: g' ~' c7 P7 A* M, q5 W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- G+ @' [  `, P6 N5 M, c9 Y> 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.
>
2 ]1 z+ E" I" Z# _8 H> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& S6 F- o, P6 c) Q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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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
# S5 q: H1 L3 F, i; x% A5 Q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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$ f: S, u7 H7 K) W0 f& i2 N> 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
/ [8 @- {0 \2 q& z1 K1 r0 ~" G, C> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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3 f+ ?( T" X& l) Y0 R/ X> 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
% E" l; F2 F- M3 s$ f6 I> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ n* H5 }. `- n6 B3 i> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% a% ~  c6 s9 W7 }5 O/ E> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 G  d! D( M0 S  [4 Z8 I5 \> 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?
>
" y( r' A' j( {& a4 N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
; s& O5 u: e; s% u> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 ]+ c4 ^/ L; k6 z> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.