Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  @! F8 R* e$ 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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5 u( D) r5 Q* [/ A5 O. C> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 q% m5 h- C8 K8 F6 H. I> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ j4 }/ R; e; I% n9 [> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 Q( K2 r4 V# _+ P> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
7 H+ }5 Y* U. N/ v$ i. @> 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,
9 u3 ?9 }  }9 o- m' @9 p> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
5 [7 }3 ^& a( J> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* x3 w: W8 a# O> 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
/ J; o+ X. c& t2 E" C> inning.'
>
> 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
7 s; ~9 U0 t$ n> 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
4 @$ b1 F/ m: K7 k8 O> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
+ d' O3 Z  T1 \> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
& }2 I6 z2 F6 k) n) o0 k> 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
5 A' O4 d4 h& y( J  ]1 R1 F> next at bat.
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4 h! d4 d1 T  E5 q! n6 u> 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
3 t. o- U  R) s- r4 v# `> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
& r# P: A; ~! [; _3 f" @' n$ Y> 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
! u$ a& g! P0 |9 L0 {> 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
! @  \% U( j/ a6 S4 V* y0 J> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; c# |; m) w  d: o4 L) @+ }% @> 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
) A4 [2 s& S# S: s& n> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
5 W; i5 N. }; K% X) O  Q0 r> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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# D+ s. I+ Z/ u0 u, W% O> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% f# N  h( {+ Y2 W> 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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+ Q  t9 }8 J" |+ p, f! A% g: Y8 s> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& p7 W0 u+ E+ r> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. `- H& L( c- h: y2 n. v5 y7 X- m" v> 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,
& K0 A6 w  C+ L3 N; V- ^* U7 h) I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
4 `% {, e6 R; j, R8 G> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
7 V. U6 _8 |6 N> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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!'
>
  `5 S" V5 E8 W( j$ K1 Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; {; m- C# y6 E+ M( }4 ^> 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
> game for his team.
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> '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
) a/ D; @3 P; R( H' p( Z8 _> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
. {( j1 J1 g( u: S% l4 A- z> 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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" }! [; t- J( \4 N/ z6 [> 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
# z" X& E9 a6 }' Q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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% M7 U8 P! D( ?> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 z! d8 j5 @) o) F7 E4 n" K> 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
: y" z# r( V) ?6 u+ H4 P, P> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
8 D$ H3 P) c: L> 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
> 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
' D7 a& R/ q  }6 q) a- ?7 |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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0 N8 l$ k+ v5 D& n> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
0 X, ]8 a# w# v5 Y% V; }7 r> May your day, be a Shay Day.