Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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" h8 o9 V& R; I6 |+ Z' T> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; n: n' X* Z# |; 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
# M; u8 Q" B$ K* N: B- j" k: ~) b> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
- ]% Q% p( e+ V7 _6 _' C7 b) b3 v> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# u8 ~, l* I6 m. r! q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
. @+ W* Z6 Q5 N. M0 C# j# q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% c0 ~' h  L) ]. Z' \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
9 ?/ M. ^- @6 j, ]> 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
0 U% F- W9 S: L: ^0 `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' I+ `- ]# [7 _% x> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! y" ~* r" U8 R: e! H; L> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" h0 e1 p: ^0 ^3 n( c9 Y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 o. f; D" C3 V8 r  {5 t9 T8 C- w> 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
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ X) j% V7 X, J8 T. Q$ C4 \> 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,
& ?: h1 q- M: o> much less connect with the ball.
2 r6 t9 ?/ I$ H' T: ^$ F. x% A> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 a2 d3 |: a. b  C7 e9 O> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
; v4 a6 U4 A8 N> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 n" b1 Z0 L# `& x- \1 Y> 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.
> 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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7 b" B1 B2 }9 c> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
! E" W$ d$ \* y4 f$ N2 L4 G> 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.
>
& j4 g! V: Y# m( `> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) {" Y' A2 j2 J) Q: ~3 r, K7 a> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 y2 @6 M9 g" E, P" _8 \/ {! C8 {> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 x; [9 n7 o  ^> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
$ n( e+ K# d, `2 o2 i: V4 x# R> 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 [4 w- j7 i+ W" X5 O6 `3 i# ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
! m- |# p+ A" K7 o$ W; a> 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
% ?: K0 B6 e/ Y+ K" i+ d9 M7 ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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% ~) i1 ^. H" E5 M> 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
# u' J6 a; v" X  r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ s6 ]; |5 y( s+ h> game for his team.
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3 z; s" I. p; {/ z> '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!
>
> 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
; u& A) i" {- F3 }) `- ^: L6 [) o9 L> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 V+ W. y+ v. X: t( d: p; N> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
8 R! ~% ^$ \$ i$ V% p  d( j) r> 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
, `1 m" O, r* p" ~$ H2 B( W, C3 K# R6 H> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; I. o% D$ q, K& \' \2 s1 [> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& X* N2 O7 e1 ?4 C# U7 F> 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
# q' I1 O% x7 p$ _+ X> 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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# Z4 a. V' T3 G3 b> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: f" ]3 A4 ^. ^* Z* Z> 2. Forward
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. e# K! t5 q; U4 k# [" z: g" K3 i& ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.