Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 y- u% W* a+ S+ v* f8 R> 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
! g& y, B& e$ l> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( e2 d8 A# W: p8 @; \7 `2 s# E> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* A: \2 J, r* d3 s> 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
3 J& E# u! \; O' _" L9 Q& ^: i/ ~> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 |' \2 l& b$ M7 @7 S( u: M2 v. e> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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:
>
' ^& I1 C8 t  l7 W! I& E  \: l> 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
0 T( s8 _& `1 l# g' D> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ A7 ]! X1 o0 T  V/ }( l> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
  `  d, C- Z4 U+ U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. J# T$ \: y- M4 @( a4 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
> 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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> 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
: R* z9 h. T' B0 L2 l> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* |8 E$ e5 c( ?) g) L/ R  ]" l7 T> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 J9 p; F6 r# T> 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
$ d0 m" d- j, [. i! U> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& Z. x+ O, P$ Z" P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
8 q- T. h( U$ u1 t0 ]# e> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
( i+ u1 ^9 {) H3 m% P+ K> next at bat.
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5 C% E/ r3 p/ F* T$ A> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% E+ _' k8 y2 P6 a> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
& m0 M: B3 l6 B> 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
1 V: k' @' o; p1 Y" r6 g> 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
> 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
+ l% {# x1 `+ Q& K4 P> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 e' z8 D* A6 k1 E: C8 \> 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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2 _3 ?  Z) M" }1 K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
" t; \; u* z! i> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% m( j0 Y" c$ Z/ L' B4 a, l> 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.
>
; S( j3 p  S5 K+ H& h* q/ |- Q( ]! K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
! \& E! ]. V# x: a: I- ?, {> 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
( i9 ?$ ]4 O; K1 ?# R8 i> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 }; W6 L& D7 l  \. @& V  H# s1 ^> 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,
5 p. q3 S* u/ m> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* ~9 z- C' ^* D, X0 {2 t2 N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; M) ^+ M( o' j9 E  b' E9 \4 Z> circled the bases toward home.
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* e- {7 T+ x' e9 K$ \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! Y$ \) c- o" a1 h> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
( {& |/ G/ @; @& S> Shay, run to third!'
1 S. a$ u: p) a2 N$ V1 b>
> 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
. O, f& Q8 w2 i# `> 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'.
2 M1 H" K3 G( y1 |; j! E" `>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
0 D- f% D$ }* Z3 ^> 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!
>
9 X$ @# Q' w! U+ Y2 N" o% o> 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
) E/ T& M3 y4 `3 J- F> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ T, L* l$ ^* Y% a" J( A* ?> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 J  d4 N/ w$ m5 s' [& R( 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
> 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
$ j7 \  l* E; T2 T: N; H, f  R> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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1 ^: @% c$ M% @5 d1 I/ z> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 B# [0 c( Z+ x" W# {( L* \$ Q> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.