Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 \3 A+ T0 X: Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) S4 @/ q/ P$ O0 M, e7 ~# F  T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  u' c9 w- G" s> 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
* u  K' ]2 v! [4 M* a> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 R! N7 c, ]5 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 Z' o# ^) Y0 |! D) i  O> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' O' M1 D. V# y% D. |6 M' F+ C" \: O> 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
* h- Q& o8 V: O6 s1 ]; S: E> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- C) K8 p; q/ W9 T/ I# Z' x# n9 e> 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
  N9 k& W! w3 r1 \+ c0 V7 Y> 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
) a& S) o& \) e! \. l% |6 c, j> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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2 }# ^. C0 O) J/ H/ m8 f> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' O& ]$ |9 x7 Y7 v> 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
' T" t! q  |# ?' c; o# `$ m* F> 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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5 V5 x/ W; ]: b) p2 b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; S3 k8 ?' v9 Y> 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 p* K/ T! _( |5 W> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 ]9 r5 j. H/ r7 X1 d- b! N> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* s2 v1 t3 v  R& E+ M5 ^> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 g. Y& ^5 C. W* w3 b: q! C- Y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
  [0 p2 R* e; q9 e; Y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* W0 y0 X' \5 R; l. h/ c5 n7 l* c> 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
# p, B: e% S) s) ^, l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  d+ e9 B5 Z8 o! C* W0 O  J> 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
& b2 }+ _0 @) A% v> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 K3 M! A; p: L* a$ g> 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.
1 b1 J4 d+ z8 k0 K+ g/ a8 B> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ M9 g+ A- s+ X: y4 S> 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
! X7 l4 L8 X6 v: P6 R> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
+ D9 X! M$ J* P' T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; j5 H% b+ F. ^. W> 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
" w$ m" f! r/ P0 S) Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
$ w' P/ M# z/ c9 m/ X/ b& B> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
: _* ~9 D: S% R/ ?0 ]( j  _, n> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, R+ B+ R& L7 V: Y) t% U$ K> 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
8 e) l3 ]( _: {8 t> game for his team.
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2 U" I* `! t, b> '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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, k' z+ R4 r2 ~; I$ H2 U; e> 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
  I8 B: w6 s) l; P> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> 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
& q+ s% A5 T' Q* n1 U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' r8 G+ O2 Q( K4 B7 a$ U3 u5 M> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' v! p3 K; G5 B> 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
! ?8 ~, s- p  q7 Y5 A> 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
  V2 B+ Q6 e% m7 A# B  k> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* W" D. H! n! p+ D- d1 {/ v# T* R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: Z% D6 K/ n1 e1 `. w, O> 2. Forward
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4 V4 ^, x0 a+ a+ f0 l% D# L" @. g> May your day, be a Shay Day.