Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: `; u/ v+ y' u> 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
2 k3 x% X# j7 \2 v7 X> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. X) A' p+ x& Z' }; |. [% n6 I$ P> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
( n" ^) H* t; h1 T> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% R1 U. D& T8 ]$ \$ p* G> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
. r6 `" Y& I* o, ]. G) e  s( ?> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
" c6 P: t' _! g2 o> 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.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; }& ^* j$ t7 {. u6 `8 S" G> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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" A( {* {9 Q6 T% i: E" a, B' \> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% M$ q% w: Y% V2 ?. b- P8 r2 J; v1 X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 }9 E/ Y* T6 X% k& C> 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
$ P: g% d; U. M0 t4 s> 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 C2 o' }* G1 o& m> inning.'
>
  _' f+ i5 p- l9 ]/ Z  J> 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
" V; F) S. q* H4 t, U  j0 D> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& k- ^. a7 S' r) y" o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ W& l# }3 p$ ~" T* t, K( e, N1 E! @- e> 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
2 A: [$ U- m& ^4 b( c0 G  M2 j* |> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 z2 p; T0 u. c+ u' t> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
. N0 O% Q8 g" ]( p2 m' W> next at bat.
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: S4 m1 h: Y2 B! ]2 L$ o! e> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' V+ e$ W4 f: H* }7 k1 r: N4 _> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. D; {; `* j* D6 R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 _- O: I* W% c. R8 g! b! `, t7 p> much less connect with the ball.
5 P* T4 H+ h, ~% h6 v" X9 A! k0 P> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 [; m2 K. N" _7 @: n8 w/ a  K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 X+ X4 d% Q9 {  K6 F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 z! K5 p  o; o; R> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ E2 O5 F3 {1 o7 B. M> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
* G( t$ w  G6 {4 U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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1 H4 I) D. }4 @> 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
9 \3 ?6 B( [& p6 t; z> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: q- O2 O& `) \2 F7 N0 V+ h. z4 S4 [> 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
5 e3 T2 V+ A0 p6 A& r* `> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 I: j. m9 x9 _> 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
' D2 x1 ^* N' I5 m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
) |7 V3 v- e3 j% Q1 ^1 B: R> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
> 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
- ?! }; H- S; U) z6 ]> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ _3 A- f" d" i6 v# l* A( j4 G$ q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 z: w" r1 ?+ e& w6 v9 j> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' @, e: l2 j0 @5 t3 d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
/ Q4 q" a5 K  _+ Y7 v# E# t> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, `2 p8 T( I/ K& J: y> 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
! g2 X( j9 R3 h- p, f> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
5 \* ]0 b( A7 I$ j' q5 ^: s% ]> 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
$ m: ~- ?2 X" A/ d> 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
% X8 B( U9 N4 X* w" r; q" B> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> 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:
0 s5 W" S! g4 J' G6 z+ P> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( i( t$ g& y. [3 y6 g> May your day, be a Shay Day.