Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 R. b' g1 Z, I. }" e5 I3 x> 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
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" ^( B, Z2 c2 W; s> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 `+ G: r* A, N" 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
+ N# \/ s# K% {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 ]. X5 R/ k8 Z) T0 i# Y/ [" W! ?0 S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 i  \+ O' j: t  l+ G> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
; j5 k; Y' G* Q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; w7 [7 N' d" _- O' h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
; R6 M0 q- V% g' Z3 }9 d0 g7 {> 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
! m/ \; i3 c3 p/ W- t7 h- b> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 }+ i' S  l4 X/ @: G> inning.'
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> 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
+ |/ o; E  s% T> 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
6 J# h( g- K" Z$ `> 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
0 E  z. W: w/ i* W8 g) o4 t> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! _1 w9 k4 z4 G1 m$ w> 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
# k/ l$ T! N; y5 D# \+ w( [1 K> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 ~% g8 L" c! A' i> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( }1 |8 o2 D9 R( y$ x2 o! W> 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
> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
: @! O8 `+ i1 W$ F3 f5 i> 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
/ F% y- P2 _  `, t9 k" r> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# J( S) @4 M! S5 G3 A, x1 E8 I> 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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# ~! e6 y1 }! l> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" W6 l: A( ?0 [6 r> 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,
& E7 U* d9 s2 v$ X1 |5 a- C" r0 M9 f> 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
4 S0 f# l. C3 J" ?$ 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
1 @- c1 r0 |  n* P7 J> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
+ z' Z. v3 p1 O! i. `> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
' J" l  @5 W/ Z8 M' y> Shay, run to third!'
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5 N1 i! j& a) f/ {; K& @> 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.
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  K! W* k; B/ ^) T4 V( d; v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 [% M5 `* M) P: f! _- w" V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
3 x( Z2 D5 Z' ~& V; p> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& [* {$ k8 C" b( \7 O+ a> 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!
>
# V) U, i& _, q% O6 [! P9 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
  w; @+ ~7 {8 P; Z# f/ O0 B> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. ?: k4 P* I9 R: C6 X0 O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
, B3 Y4 E2 o0 g" ^6 L9 m) n/ Z) B* s>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# }1 K# Q8 c9 C+ ]9 V0 G0 ]> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
% n  d( A( S1 C) R> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. n: P3 s3 m) M0 x% h% ~/ k, ]> 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
3 q- K9 h  u6 B; ^- l8 s> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 l! j0 H9 I- C# \! ^; B> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
7 {) K' f# I7 g- [- o: h# J! L$ v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
, K. O) a  e$ b" t. B> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
8 x% y- B; _- x5 s% w. n1 f" V- g> 1. Delete
& U5 X4 d2 R+ ^& G. b+ ?> 2. Forward
>
& k( o# G9 T* z/ l6 h& i2 _> May your day, be a Shay Day.