Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) t# A8 Q" B1 E: H; A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ q0 \) K; M* H> same choice?
>
1 _% o9 @3 x8 B! {5 ~> 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
, V; z) F- m, O$ h' e0 @5 ^& C> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> '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?'
>
+ L  z) A  C3 p' K> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& U; ?2 j% h; {- S# T. l  W6 b8 F' r> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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9 n+ y0 h/ `* k> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
: O$ Y$ v5 p/ W' ]% ]& _$ R  \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- u! A/ {4 g' 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* d4 S" C/ M! H# C2 m7 M+ O> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' J7 ?- S! v2 b4 `> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! N' k: ?, @* a  c> 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
: R+ s7 R3 i. a+ s> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
, @: w7 O# H8 y, G> 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
) i) H7 W+ d' k( C/ Y" P> 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
> 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
6 |% Q, Z3 {- @8 L> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% E& F) \# {) F1 Q$ c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; m) [! d; X* K3 p' B2 a( x. B> next at bat.
>
" ^: x/ _9 Z2 j. ?4 b> 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.
( M/ o7 V) h+ Q) c# ^& Q3 A> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, b+ C' B; l$ {1 r" J> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" p  U. c* [  {  @> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" u' `) X6 X5 Y5 L3 E- Z1 J& n( ^+ A> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
& T' Q. I8 h/ B> 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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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) q& i& N. w' R# v> 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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7 Z, W2 S: w9 K; J7 M/ A  T+ U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* M1 W$ r3 f+ t4 l7 N" y> 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
% f0 x9 |8 j, w# N( }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: T7 N7 w6 R3 f2 V- m> wide-eyed and startled.
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9 Y  n* C3 ^/ x: o3 e& b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 p0 j9 F. I' S* m% J0 K> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
' X/ _! J" V/ q- l> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 |1 `  a5 c. R" m' p- ^: j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 s% t* b$ j( l! g- n  F2 G6 ~4 s> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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8 V* l2 T% L0 e6 w' n( Z1 `# L: U> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: a: u; t& a$ f/ L, i> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 g# a3 n8 Z% [9 F0 [9 A! Q) j> Shay, run to third!'
>
* X- |' E6 R- i6 g, n7 C. c+ p> 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
> 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
> into this world'.
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# |# J  _! f, C2 g( t& F> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, a+ E4 l! p$ S$ }> 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!
>
2 d, G; g1 Q$ M+ J/ V; j/ {/ k8 _  I> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 b# P' y. S1 r+ e) z( m> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
6 _- F( N6 r+ [5 i7 S9 i> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  f: E- k  Y% [8 ]9 u> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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  r" T* t+ k% z0 u1 X0 p: F> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 g  t3 [. y9 B( y> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 j( j: V$ f2 v3 u> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. K2 E; W: l' g> 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
+ W9 f2 x3 D) m( K' `> 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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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* D' x$ J$ |# j9 U> 2. Forward
>
1 h7 H" A: b( D0 l> May your day, be a Shay Day.