Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
( B0 e! P! f3 j" n$ x2 p" Q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
' H; ^/ }: U  E, s> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 N# o3 M3 {' _> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
+ H, e1 g! s; T, K; e1 \3 _> natural order of things in my son?'
>
* @+ S& {' f. V! @8 [# S9 p/ F- k( R> The audience was stilled by the query.
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. O, V# o+ l+ @- e% Y- K> 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
+ f$ Q4 ^" Y2 q: G> treat that child.'
>
' w+ _, ]& R+ n9 e2 L! e9 H" Y> Then he told the following story:
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& j8 C$ E$ @1 C2 j5 I1 o7 n> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( `* w2 z0 r* @! H' H> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% j# b8 P1 z6 O- n* }' O+ m' r( X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 z& e5 @" v3 H> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 W2 A' g2 E# g1 C1 Z, e8 A> 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
0 w, \. A' ?# Y% }3 c, Y> inning.'
2 Z* H! @0 z; r>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  g: l8 Y' g* C0 S! H  {, w$ k0 M- `- E> 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
' w# b+ T. \& f$ d9 e6 s/ |2 Q> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 t0 _( H: e- |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
' n3 h: T) I4 T3 E; B> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ k5 L, V/ L& A1 F0 F- u: V& Q> 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
5 K- s% D8 j9 r8 |4 D- E> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% c, R) P" b$ |: ^, X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& L  i( _) f% @2 P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. J* L2 h$ E. ~& k> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
# T0 T0 m# P6 g' b" V: f" y> 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
5 I  P0 G* X$ h) N2 Z> 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.
8 U' g& }6 b. p> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, M# h  w) j, ?. t7 K& U! M> right back to the pitcher.
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% j1 R) _: z) i/ @* D, N0 {: a> 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
- ^8 L5 g2 Q" d6 J4 q$ 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
> 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,
" G) h6 C4 N/ \> 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
/ g4 f& B, g1 c7 H5 D& b4 ~' r7 `> 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
+ h% q7 e$ v2 S7 r2 |" P> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
7 E, C+ c" [: V: y6 ?  R( Y! n> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) T7 j- Z( k. b6 m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
& C" J1 X6 b3 X, a9 V> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 ]3 G2 g# k8 R5 |1 j: o6 Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> 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
1 M/ i/ E9 ~1 k> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> 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
) B! b6 Y2 N  }( s) h. B2 t" q) k> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; w" M! v" Y) R* O& c) k$ P1 @/ o> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
" ]# }+ _; O/ T7 r. \4 s$ H) v9 k% y  [> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 E) y( a( N$ ^% p  ~2 A> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> 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
! G: y  E9 p1 s> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 {/ l3 {+ j$ k* @# D0 o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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1 Y$ w* C* X/ q: Z: i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, b7 H# ^" t/ M/ W+ `> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 C! B0 o4 j/ L) O> You now have two choices:
% v  G% i! r. ^/ Z> 1. Delete
# K  }( }7 F+ ]- v$ n) e6 P> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.