Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& O/ W8 o8 s6 f1 z0 l! {& e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 Z" W6 H5 `$ W! u0 `' c" i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
  i" N( X! s% z+ h1 M( V1 }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 e5 n6 I: O# J4 Y* @' O> 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 n$ l9 D' H/ h; U- q> natural order of things in my son?'
>
" w) @+ w! @% L4 Q% P6 M2 {> The audience was stilled by the query.
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7 X6 r0 b1 |- z/ R. R( T/ _1 S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) e, |9 M# b1 [$ |> 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
& {4 x1 s& f) h) v* f% v> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
1 W1 o6 p9 Y- _4 l1 e- X> 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,
  V, _$ `% j4 A& s8 ~$ T" G5 h6 {> 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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4 d  {/ F) e) {4 x+ h% ^4 t( ?& i> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 ]% Q+ P5 U* t, N- S0 p3 r> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. B# _' G, z7 y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ B, r2 |3 m; U9 y: J0 G, \> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> 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
> 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
* A: d6 f: u& T& R: `. g0 {> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 j0 ^& k( _# V  g2 W6 i) [+ Z6 G> 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,
1 C0 e4 `9 Q) ]+ B5 V> 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
4 Q0 F* f. q# S) ^- P- d# L> 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.
, x  r# \- J& O# }7 c# ]' `> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 e% G- G. k! e2 |3 c> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 S( l3 g) E- ^! q) q> 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.
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> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 q3 ~( N/ \4 E% y* a* O1 k> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 `& |. O6 `: y' ]' |  H. P> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. x! C9 e, I% q" Q> 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,
0 m5 p- ^  X, K/ V> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 }8 I2 U/ i5 Q4 V8 V  Z% g> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 L6 S: N, x8 m! l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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, F1 h& R5 f6 `. Z7 S# ~/ M> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; m3 n) b6 J' v- S3 K> 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
( Q1 u4 q& ^: ~8 v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* {6 ~/ O  K6 g- t  j* Y( H% b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
6 g; j0 Y. e* t' |1 y: }: G& R> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
8 p  e8 [) W( x6 K# \) B1 X! N> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> 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!
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+ r: h) v3 g8 C0 T& J> 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
! s, H8 k" e3 P2 w> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' v2 I( _, r0 ~/ D> 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
( k# j# w% b& v$ A> 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
$ P/ M$ g& L. n/ L  a) T( X) E1 ^> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: W7 @# O0 m: B  `) _> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& v% Z  Y; i6 ]2 i4 S' K9 d> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
5 d; z5 K+ ~3 j% ~3 f2 j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 `( h( o4 T$ x> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. j  ]$ f; m( W5 E/ t$ [> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 Z( M$ ~; f7 \: [7 H> 2. Forward
>
1 m) p1 K! Z; f/ _/ t- k> May your day, be a Shay Day.