Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ K  x9 }: v! o& D0 w6 i( E' r> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, ~9 c+ }9 e" J& A> 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
1 {) `0 S: |3 v; ]) ?9 `0 t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
8 a: [1 a* h8 F  j. r> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ V# k8 l- y5 h( w' @. O5 }> 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
. i* \1 b- @* [1 ?> 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
8 A% T& U0 [0 C9 I! ~1 u9 e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- L0 W) e1 H8 s* x> treat that child.'
>
% a) G9 O1 R3 `> Then he told the following story:
>
( H* f. F9 G5 P( J* n' f! V: K> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) {) Q8 j* A6 a3 C- K> 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.
>
$ k; j0 ]! h" I$ t7 F> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; g- V* e6 g5 k  _> 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
+ X# d% k; h) {! X' b) S! D, T> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
+ s4 P9 e9 i5 X9 {. j6 a> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 V- g# J9 H& \> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ K$ X( E* g/ e; z& Q5 n4 @1 k> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& @0 Y) ^, v8 h" @; b> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
! E8 T. a+ y% c* u  F> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# Z& z$ L- Z9 x6 ^  m- X5 w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  s' A/ q3 ~% `3 K# }2 M, Z/ |1 j> 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
; u# Z. S( t7 w* _> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, o( y  d" X( H0 B6 w! Y7 D/ ?. d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
' a# \+ }) w5 y& e+ q) F, i3 j0 |> next at bat.
5 k+ @3 f* R- |5 T>
> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 c: F  T. n) L3 d. Z# b> 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
> 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.
1 r' l& k9 a# W" q+ w: I0 Z> 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
0 `: j) D. L2 Q5 S8 z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
* ?3 W4 p6 R8 s- D+ H" F$ C> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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: }" q' e* U+ o' j> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
. e( q# u- v( A8 z% m: i* s# O> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) H  ^0 Q! c7 n& b; z& }7 V> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 P6 F9 z, G1 Z6 v% l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> 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
* C4 k+ |4 @5 Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% A" [% t) P( ?+ ]( d> 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
7 v* k" S4 X& n' G/ c> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
6 F) f& O. l4 E% g8 I> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 j" Y- s% Y, b4 n. M> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
! Q: `. U8 R' ?9 m4 r) B8 L/ m9 S> 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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* h% P. d6 S  B> '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
: V9 F3 a. M1 d; q' H4 @> into this world'.
>
> 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
/ q$ V7 v6 s- [( {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
9 S. W6 M" [9 W3 p4 S8 `0 M> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
  l  F7 ?1 o6 y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
* l! s" Z& U$ g  f# K5 U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" v# @: b5 p( B" ~) U: f> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
: ^7 h7 B, [. t5 N1 K% o: ?' D> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
: C9 @/ F6 U" d. l0 f  v' ?> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 k8 n$ \4 I1 a# {" ?5 }/ f> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 j- N7 c" W9 }) P> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 J% b  U7 A& H> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> 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:
2 S8 ]7 P( h$ [: H6 q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.