Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( q; r5 `6 C; C6 n) j> 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
> same choice?
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> 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
8 H  ^5 k% B7 U' a' l' s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# @/ c& z- |/ h; x7 Q* w& V> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 w7 n) A, z1 E, o& M: \> 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?'
>
8 t+ n& R4 P: V> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) C3 s: o7 T$ o  U! i> 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
/ C+ m1 C, d: O. Y$ w& F; f> 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,
0 Z6 P8 B9 B0 e> 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
, _8 A5 ]# d1 E> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' J# r: ~3 D+ A! a- Z+ `8 a% Y" H> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 P7 U: u) b4 Q/ }6 @; [! e6 K> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, M4 _5 ~* H/ ]5 c, ~; a# `9 _> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
7 A: h1 r' W$ s> 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
& w0 P. b: d- n4 ?5 d3 |# w- {3 U> 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
% F% o% c( C. j/ q> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 [& n% }! h; Q) f  J* h, P> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) _0 W. L: n: b6 q- V& z7 L- y> 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.
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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,
/ I; M2 {; k9 C; v9 `> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
5 _% i" h; [6 P% ^5 Y> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
* H) o) l' Y# e' Y0 i7 H; z> 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
9 \0 s7 L4 @% a5 K5 I! Y> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
, L3 |5 r, F" N> 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
) h. ]9 E, q2 k# S% `> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' J* H8 _/ X2 x) A> 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
" R" D0 p+ A: }# w. E- M  R( e7 K# t" V> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 X  `/ M2 \8 @5 T6 b% y8 ]7 Z> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 @5 \) o6 x1 w6 ?8 h" j> 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
1 ]$ t9 R/ F" F> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 ?, y9 E8 ~# L1 W  [3 ^' Y> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
( C3 d' ^. Z! r' M. L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* X# ^- d* }' ~0 Z2 L> 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!
, @# J6 h! u! H$ j/ G- r> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
' H1 S" _) N4 V0 H2 S> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& a0 b, Y; W8 q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
3 R% o" H5 o* C* z: p; ^, X! }% f> 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
  h# ~5 W8 S# b0 @. B% g> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ C! n1 F9 ?& h! ?, b9 r8 M> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
' P) o, N  A" c/ n: b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  [2 g7 ?: w/ b5 _' G: W2 _> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 X  D  s% L# h5 Q% ~4 T* C  M> 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
% c/ R/ R7 k1 U9 x> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
! Y: J( F, P+ A& @> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 W. L  e) c/ Q* Y) f( T' ~5 `> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 p/ `& Z* C1 ]" o> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: g- c* D4 }, [/ N! @) L( D# W) b: ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
& y1 w* H$ h4 M  b1 B> 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:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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. ^2 s: G. j+ ~5 k$ ]& r6 d* H> May your day, be a Shay Day.