Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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' c& t, G9 }+ |0 i" V9 d' M> 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
# a0 v: z* ~6 T0 I> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' a9 T: X  H3 S% @# B% |> 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.
>
) c8 ^- k+ {; H8 d5 A* c> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! U+ h4 K$ w1 \+ f9 Q: E9 @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) o* n6 c: W, T2 p/ U' W$ @> treat that child.'
>
6 Y) _9 n' s; Y* _+ L> 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
9 S( G& B" G3 g# Z/ n& f" _% I: v> 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.
>
. y+ s, B! m4 }> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 R$ c) p4 M; A9 W" Q$ c" |/ q> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 j3 k2 z5 C) i/ J' J1 P' i1 C+ @' y> 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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& }* N! M$ P' x$ ^2 F) a! [$ x> 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
: a- _! e/ |/ l/ z/ d. E  l2 h> 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
! l; l$ g0 P* B8 s( i> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& N+ C7 Q$ ~5 r! ~. {" V> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( j  {* ^) D" n7 f' m> 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
9 |# H* d9 r$ J5 |! P; T> next at bat.
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> 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
% ~- q8 H! Z+ a% e3 I1 M> 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
# c5 B4 N) v- w> 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
, ^/ g4 Z! S) }# o4 D> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 E* Y, F6 p; W5 e- E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& i7 M) }' B) ^% D> 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
, Q% j/ {$ B) E> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ N% L( b8 X4 w% j( h8 I> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 F5 W  F' {  g" I+ }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ ~2 |& h6 a8 w. P1 y> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% i, g5 |. \4 H( g4 n" x( g> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 p3 }6 N( Q  U2 n. R8 S) ^3 n> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: h% ~$ H3 ]* [7 q& ]/ 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 h' ]5 y+ z5 }, M2 L/ B& v> circled the bases toward home.
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- M$ q' C5 _2 T/ Y2 d> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
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* R/ X7 G  |6 _( y> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
; F* X, C( C% h+ e3 K( g) N> game for his team.
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  [8 u" m8 H. N+ V, n> '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
> 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
> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
" W" q# v6 k2 g, d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
( e$ b5 f: O+ E. A, p+ }* G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
3 |( Q& G2 k+ D% c1 `5 S/ v> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& i) W9 f' D" ?6 N; d> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 @7 H% L% W) n6 S. \/ F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* I" J: \6 q# f7 F; K> 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
) f! G/ O$ D' U: B> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 {% _0 G3 h. P5 B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
, b& y$ \  w) w5 {" Z  I> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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" V2 P$ Z. A& c# `5 x6 E> May your day, be a Shay Day.