Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 N( f; x" J3 q> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! k! c0 u0 L/ X, s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
# W# n' c. F1 k8 ]# _5 x0 G; {  Q1 @> 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
> 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
) E0 [8 H" P5 a( ?/ p' K2 g4 u> 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?'
>
1 ~7 \" Q( Y/ ~# S% t> 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:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# e% H; J+ h  Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 [/ H0 G6 Y' q> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
5 Z  k5 a' f6 S8 R> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" I* c, H7 f5 T8 e3 X. ]> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ c, d; _9 ]  k) _3 {4 I! t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> 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
+ ?% Z7 I  D" E" Y* h> 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
1 ]  q, {9 [+ G6 B/ c$ u> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 H# R/ Z! q: ^* ^> 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
5 t$ D" W% Y* s0 {- z+ {2 ?; `> 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
+ V, r* J6 ~/ k2 I; ^0 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
3 n  ]- K9 k- g  C1 W/ T3 J> 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
* y+ m0 @" C- g> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) T. v5 }( t: Z> next at bat.
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( F7 O% r, G, u& o3 Q> 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
3 p7 a% q7 ?( ]8 C+ V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; p4 {4 W! }  z2 f: q: l> 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
' Q0 M2 _8 Y& e4 h1 U> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 b7 k) [/ o, w4 I4 A) I9 H> 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
% U! }5 J% [2 t) x5 w3 q> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: `# j% r8 n- t( |5 @. x$ v" N0 Y> 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
. S- \$ q4 y. z/ e" ^7 C> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# D: ~8 U% u$ [7 \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, @* X. W. }) s> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 Y4 H: @& b- h2 g% U! ^> 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
$ j1 N; Q; G' \$ z> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, O6 R4 }/ S) [1 K& _5 @> 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
0 i' I1 w9 y6 a' P' {( b> 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!
( m2 l. v  d7 v4 }9 @7 z) W> 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
1 s1 S, C- u8 r1 d: a+ E> 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
2 F$ r4 J& g# z( o3 V) z1 d> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: M0 h5 e) D8 }> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
6 D1 T8 G& n0 {' n> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
  V1 r* Y; d. c* Q+ ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
0 C& i% m, i2 e4 `4 e> 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
* {7 S, N+ k, A5 i; Y5 q% Z> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
# H1 G, Q1 @* ^" p# V& b3 W> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ _% o. O* @) o2 j* n> 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
. j' r8 h$ P# U6 l$ z& f> bit colder in the process?
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% K" F3 {$ F2 b8 s1 c  u7 R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' I, ?; {1 N; t0 h) k1 V6 j+ e) l; H+ A> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) ?* {8 w" m; B+ `6 o: o8 }5 Q6 ~> 1. Delete
/ ~; p! U0 i0 V" v7 h. K( F4 q  V> 2. Forward
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+ r1 {6 A& O) t& I> May your day, be a Shay Day.