Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
9 o3 U" R0 B. p> 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?
>
% D, q0 M( ]7 V$ v. N. N> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
" A) Q  b" k; }5 S> 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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' _' \8 a& L6 S) Y) Q1 m> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 N3 w4 {: ]* [$ f( J> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ ]2 ~/ b5 S4 i  a: Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
, o+ r" j8 D. s: Z7 f( F' R6 S> natural order of things in my son?'
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> 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:
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> 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
+ X0 Q. d" m" d7 Q( M> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
9 H: M( b0 @8 k> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> 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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7 f+ }. d2 w7 t+ q& d  A. l> 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 ]! M& @; e+ [! v2 F: ~4 A> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 t8 z' t  `; U% d> 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
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ z' @) @5 [/ \2 }- h> next at bat.
>
4 Q, ]8 A1 U( C> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ m8 a5 K& C- F> 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,
, z) e( F  S6 R( C. M3 ~> 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
5 c$ t. P3 J# `5 c! J1 D/ V, D" \> 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.
6 U3 z0 {* k/ Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 K6 ^% M$ r5 B$ ]# G* V> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( f) Q) y' C! E2 ^) V; `& o5 T7 D9 |> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 T; D) h# M: W2 e+ }: t: v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
" Z  X9 l0 L) D, A* h5 e1 q+ {0 \> 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.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# v. ?- p# ~; \  f# Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 [( J2 H# t+ T% ]6 |$ }> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. f4 x0 I) @& J( |; a> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 d1 s. D# t& Z$ F* b/ D& p> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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, \7 [1 P! F7 T. L8 T' t> 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!'
5 o& H: m1 U2 `>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, b/ Y* C8 h) }% @3 i1 T; O> 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
0 j( |4 l6 K2 ]3 n2 o/ C> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. @0 o! |! ~! w$ w& C# I- u: `> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 ^9 I" \0 {, b) t" i* K> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: N. ~7 _6 v4 R> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 \+ j, o9 E$ `" X5 P5 T7 v- ]> 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
2 R& A  N- v/ N0 {! R1 \1 w% q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* @: [0 p0 O" ]; m% ~; K) o0 Z: A> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, _& U! j4 A3 i) W, S+ }+ R! O> 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
9 K. G7 X$ d& F% ?- e/ O  D> 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
2 g% Q5 b/ o* @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
6 f6 T! o$ X: `0 a% L6 L* F" D> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
8 ]. X8 w- i2 Q% x6 v2 C. b* R> 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
> bit colder in the process?
0 ^9 ~- P% j, b8 \9 B" A8 o0 w0 [>
5 k! Y/ j# F+ {5 l% A9 o> A wise man once said every society is judged by
! x! j) K! j* ^* M9 |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* d. K+ i0 u. A" Y9 R$ t& x> 1. Delete
/ x; Z9 j( V& E> 2. Forward
7 K2 o+ P  h2 W4 H>
) |# b+ T" }% d> May your day, be a Shay Day.