Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ y4 O1 F9 i7 P" z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( \7 u) S3 r' X  X* c> 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
4 V' F9 ^* I0 Q5 B" ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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( B" [9 K# u! e% Y/ q. V> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
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> 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
* M$ p/ W0 b3 v! Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
$ ], a, |; l2 Y4 J6 d0 ?> 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
* M5 h# C% {+ K5 q3 g> 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,
" w9 y7 e0 Q7 n) U' s7 D& w> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
* L# y# J' h0 Y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! Y( F% c2 o4 ^$ Z) `> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 I: V& |8 _$ [, i8 _> 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
2 g; Z% v. K$ B+ r# n7 B* K& C> inning.'
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6 l( Z( n- n4 t5 b" Y) }> 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
! M' X  i! a" T! O  r( g> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
. d* C5 d) J. W1 S- ]  V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ G: T4 g; G+ `! w0 F' ]) E> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
7 e$ D# N  V0 P+ a4 g> 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
  d3 z: w3 ^$ T( o> next at bat.
>
2 ~- B' u  h1 X3 r" j> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
; D+ G5 L7 }; }/ ?> much less connect with the ball.
# z4 \: g+ F. X6 g- R- H4 f! {> 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
( G5 k' S2 C+ `3 j> 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.
8 m2 i2 g6 {' a1 h% u4 T> 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
> 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.
>
4 |8 ~7 G! m& x& |( A, O> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 v; r# @; K# L5 ~4 v> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 c) y* Q9 q' F/ ], y4 U4 A1 U; x; I> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 S/ ?, I/ D* I. B. I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 g3 V7 e6 \& R! h, I9 c> wide-eyed and startled.
>
; P& R3 o5 l8 P> 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
% M* P$ N$ D5 R+ K% Y> 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
> 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
6 q! j" l% z  x8 E( K4 W> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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  P# i; u: J! K3 Z7 A( h. p> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 _0 o; Z1 {9 y* X/ U> 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
0 I$ M9 {0 X0 ^6 [> 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,
& l, H! K0 `: x! g$ W> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 ^: Y6 a" _2 c  Q: u, m> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' T- A3 \! i8 j5 C> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( {( @, Q: a  `% F! v% H$ S1 r> 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
' R; k4 F3 }1 [# x( Z> 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
- n) a/ u/ ^) C" P- |7 A0 \0 S> 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
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# k9 J/ y8 `1 ?" q/ Y- g> '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
! H. R/ r3 s) }) \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 B( J5 f, Q$ [- P  O> bit colder in the process?
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5 H3 m! x( ?# _, q' N) `0 r> 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:
> 1. Delete
7 k* ~/ o% u- O  p$ s3 N> 2. Forward
>
( S: }2 a# D$ T8 f3 G& L# v' G) Y4 I> May your day, be a Shay Day.