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?
>
: f- x. z# ^0 R7 J> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 H& |( ^! @7 ~  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
5 D& \# E6 J: {6 x, M> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; f" N1 k/ W# F0 c4 j8 ^; y7 d> 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?'
>
> 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.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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7 f$ p3 x: J- k: y8 B& {> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 |) m6 R8 n3 ]" _/ m8 a4 ^> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 t- [: s! O& u6 _+ G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
4 i! B# O3 S2 y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' l9 D6 {% Q" U3 b# I> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. T: P2 X6 D* X# X  {2 W  p% D> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  V2 F( h7 ?1 s5 c5 _> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' G+ Z9 J4 E% C> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 s5 j; x* d$ h; {7 i1 P: b> 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
' v5 Y8 e& i  i( b- j* c2 f> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ k3 o/ j- ~# r' h- a> next at bat.
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: C2 ]7 k( x; Y, f0 j3 _> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, v- V8 X/ a, @0 W3 N# w1 ]% Q> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* z2 U. G( N& N# K> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
  b/ d) R- f8 R6 m7 k, }) v% R> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 {' R9 S: @) V2 N! g> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ b8 Z5 s( Y& Y. G> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, V8 p8 u0 Z+ X& b7 Q4 Z> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- ]9 M7 [& A/ ?> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% Z" l) s" u5 k$ @- v7 a, V> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 ~, ^7 n* T; I! Y+ L> 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.
>
> 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
; |  L" M! Z3 h5 J; K) R5 g> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 Z( D1 G' l9 g9 F9 Q9 ]> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* Q! o$ u. C2 }( J2 B3 t> 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
' ]; A* h: b" G+ E> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
1 [6 c6 Q7 c* N4 j6 @; ~. {& C8 `> 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,
6 G5 O% `8 `$ x- U" Y> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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5 M+ v) f  _; n1 e0 k( K: N> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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& J* _: J# q7 j/ \> 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!'
>
7 U! o# o) o; M% T9 d> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* V" u, Y+ o4 B% X$ n$ R4 i6 m" T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* {( p' B7 i3 q. r, {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 M5 w$ a$ m& F( B# Y> game for his team.
>
2 c( V6 e- t1 l; l5 k& I> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
2 X# d% T/ q2 Z7 [$ U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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, {1 O7 u* U! ?& [> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. @2 I" x5 A/ P5 O8 F> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 o6 ?' O) R! E( u' A. n: ?> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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. B; \# H2 U; |% f( C! v> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, w( i: B- X; _: w% {& |> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- X% }3 w! O+ v, h- k( r) L> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 y/ r* m1 g  j& A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 s! ?$ H5 C0 u0 i5 q" m. j> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, i# k  g- u4 W, r* i> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& n' @8 P9 R. K> 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
  P  r  S/ U) A/ O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* R( ?" R* |" J  f/ @> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
+ ^/ ]% o9 C: _4 f. d0 ]  u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.