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
# c( W/ d& Y% u) k4 I7 P( s> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' q* o- ~6 }+ S2 j> 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
5 ?, w/ G& e2 L) H7 r> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% X. F- X, L# n# b* U* ~> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 [7 C/ p' @$ n- K! Z! Z/ d) l9 O> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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" q; z6 N$ ]8 D7 R/ D> The audience was stilled by the query.
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6 L' Z% h: z# H( x: n! ~6 `% A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 Z+ V6 j" z  q5 G: x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, ^6 F5 m" w' [9 O; I7 [1 I' q. H> treat that child.'
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- u9 x3 }* A1 j/ s( E; P> Then he told the following story:
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% o) J- f; Z4 j5 j0 ?8 r> 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
' W6 Y$ k8 t' s8 \8 {: j> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! @9 Y1 l* s2 O; _! \4 z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
- Z) o# k. A8 Z/ }8 ~( v# G> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; n9 A  V2 ?" k: o5 Y. n> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
5 _8 T" {, U) V( g! B0 w> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" y6 e* p* s) h8 f0 O> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- S7 z: F! H3 R> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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1 _* w- q  K) ]" K! Z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 o) ]9 [6 P7 n" y  o) c> 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
: b0 V; F8 ]% k' }. `9 w, z# w0 r> 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
8 A( S' _, }# \> 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.
+ c( ^# Z% f3 _1 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) e( x4 h  S/ {& r) A4 M> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
/ b" S" X) B0 N6 F> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; r. K1 y* S8 T8 ]( P* i) c+ k" r> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
8 [. U8 @  ?3 t  a, v8 F4 j> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> 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,
" a3 s  z8 }& B8 B% A1 E" @$ R3 V> 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
2 a, y6 |0 d( O/ B> 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,
0 H* ~6 W0 O& w! k0 a3 E> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
8 ]) f- w7 h) y7 B% w5 K% Z6 o> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
. ?: e+ }8 t0 p. P! U: O> circled the bases toward home.
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2 B9 \6 E0 u( [! j; E3 r9 T> 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!
3 Y* M+ w  H! M: z> Shay, run to third!'
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: d( \3 P; h, \4 e> 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
- C( D, {  e2 }, B- @9 E% H> 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,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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5 y5 L" M3 @. |6 W  x, g> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 j' r& E9 j: y3 {> 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!
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4 y8 U$ n& [! ~2 |" F( u2 V> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- H2 f/ L/ p# }/ o# F> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 ]: |+ P% `! a( X3 M> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 @" m; U, j, J6 B. t* A> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
  r0 ?, K+ W: M1 l+ |8 q; A> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 ~) T& @/ ]6 }> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' ~3 o: i$ x& _* I$ ~# t, |> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: I  E5 q! a6 L- ]0 g3 ?% W> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
  ~0 n+ j0 ~" T9 b! f( m( c4 m3 N5 y" H> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 L1 O3 b) Y+ `  ~> You now have two choices:
2 E5 A9 h% E9 h+ ?6 {> 1. Delete
0 v1 `4 S; k" V  `9 k> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.