Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
; z) X  v* N/ x+ t: H) ~% @> 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
- q- q% S. k+ e( G* j> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 i0 ]. S4 L: S$ @. y# P> 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
; b! a: g* I/ g( o! k> natural order of things in my son?'
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, S5 S# y+ N0 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
# @" t: r  f# U0 u; _! A> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
. v9 h: K; @: Q) j# @  `4 R> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 {* d" Y- j3 {* W8 X7 ?# v> 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,
* S4 l7 ]& l  s( T- q> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. R8 G$ C: O1 g# R* e* u> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 c! o8 p1 D: W6 a- n> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 O9 C# x) [4 G9 i3 f> 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
# a8 G( C0 R6 C0 T5 e> 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
* P' ?, E, C' P> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 y# Z0 t5 u$ _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
7 y' c! k% y1 R  j4 b; j1 {/ L> 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
4 C$ w7 [$ Q' u  |7 s, M- O> 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
9 V3 [0 k+ a+ i; S) r$ k! E  ^8 Y2 k> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 A( v9 ?0 O3 L6 h> 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
& O8 R1 e& M3 p  g* b* p8 @, c> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 v; y9 p& @' L8 R  k# U( K> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
9 Q0 |5 A5 q3 g4 W- z> 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
9 N( T, ?' @/ K> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 x8 Q% z& a8 x) O( a" }> 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
% K: |3 [$ ]5 |- M, r0 L  [> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
5 O  ]2 \  K4 Y, Z> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 F! A+ |9 O1 g# f- }& v. T8 J8 P/ k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 i  T1 T  q  n6 r> 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
> 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: }. R4 G8 N" D$ Y4 N! y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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7 ~) V) a$ n/ e> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; l0 E9 S$ g- v& g6 i( _- z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 S9 X% A( g6 Q8 G: R2 G> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ W2 s$ w7 H! |* h> Shay, run to third!'
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- I, T4 C4 R! F+ V> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 `( [' d" c! q# W. b6 }$ s0 B' [> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. {" _6 Y/ E" [, s7 C0 J> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
; [; `# t: T7 t' o/ E6 C/ g1 Q) j> game for his team.
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5 l( d% L/ h+ M2 u: A% t2 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
> into this world'.
>
" Q" J& S- k' r4 j. @! P+ G8 C! D> 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
7 X6 q* t9 i% |' S> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
+ e$ l' d  P4 w1 Z7 i' x> 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
- `6 a# S5 a0 j. m> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' O7 w; a0 \, {2 M% F> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; R8 L1 @# A1 u& f; j. n3 y; r> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 k# I+ `  u. O2 A2 L> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 N) C, {) V& }4 h> 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?
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3 h! t# [! f* F( ~; N1 S8 j> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( [' L/ ~6 ?) J' o> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.