Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& a* W# B9 i7 k6 g; j6 e, p6 M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
4 h, Q) Y$ H1 w# F9 X( q- Y% J5 O> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
' T$ H" S: I, Z$ j% q6 T> 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
0 x2 F% G& ~0 O, C  G> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- G7 z+ n- o! r! |> 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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# N/ S0 W* a  b) K9 y> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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7 a1 n/ S  S1 F7 C1 o7 D> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 B; u* y& h% c$ E! i> 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
- k" V. ?- Z: C) F9 }; {% y% W4 b> 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
3 j0 ?6 u/ o6 p3 c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
: W8 J/ R% h  C% ?0 Q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
* K- {' a: ]$ K' y. }> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 e' B% Z/ g9 @0 l6 k! X) T3 Y> 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
% s: x6 P; Y* z- k3 }3 v, O> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 g5 e, N  K( q$ ?5 ?> 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
- x, J) t' Q9 l. {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
! G/ v0 k' a8 |  c4 }/ E> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; w' Z5 ~) g: Z> 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
  ~! }# E1 k6 G+ S! z# e> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! {0 |8 G2 \, P> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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1 d5 S9 m1 ~2 a& G( q) |  g, z> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. W0 [3 I, s. @  j7 w# c  @' H2 d) b> 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,
0 k& h. O* `$ u. j# 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
7 |4 _6 @# K/ H> 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
3 G' h) O. Z. m, C, r% t. q> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* D& N* I0 }2 C7 B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 |  `( U& d' P> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 b5 P1 S) d  v$ G" r> 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.
>
; E# P/ ]$ B: X  U, E$ 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
4 w& r- P9 ^3 w! N/ ?8 b> 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.
>
, T+ d- _$ @8 [: b9 C1 Q6 W/ a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
" \2 c; h1 ~+ x8 B: l8 t  k; _5 H> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ g8 U/ [( N- `% O> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 F5 n' Z, T8 T! a$ S3 T' K6 n> 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
2 o" L. ]8 J" g9 H! {" n6 E> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) _8 H3 f- S' [2 s: n; v> 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
* j5 G' r/ g1 L2 e( t$ j> circled the bases toward home.
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& {: c4 Q9 ?" [2 }0 i> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& K9 v: m: n6 z; d9 N> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
>
4 B$ N/ p; b( `> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
$ O  \5 @6 ]' {7 p2 C5 {> 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!
>
$ K8 v& ?& S# e) N) F; v> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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& Q# J8 J* r, c" }> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 V$ }/ n0 T) `# B4 T, }. s% `* c. O> 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 J  K3 ^7 T% E" |1 _/ H3 c> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 D; P, M' }# J" L- |> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ u1 w6 Y* x+ P2 k9 q$ K> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 \/ {1 ]" K8 v% K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
1 O8 V  G5 d% p" K/ P7 c> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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- o- f4 j+ G+ o0 P* ?> 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
> 2. Forward
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7 {$ _) d4 A# n& y0 Q# M* R7 b/ e> May your day, be a Shay Day.