Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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! ~' R1 E( T; T> 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?
>
) A% e! ^( p7 T% w7 x2 _2 Q> 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
' z$ _0 e6 j0 a1 g* y6 A. Q> staff, he offered a question:
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) t! X9 o& f/ P, V# D' V( R> '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
3 {8 T7 ~( J) i> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
- V! w- t2 F; s0 m> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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# L# X, h" f1 r3 Z$ |% x5 R" a. N, P> 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
> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' Y0 n7 {. c* Q( ^6 ~* M> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 F$ W/ R; [& N6 j& z6 o> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 D, N7 H/ _  ~0 g0 r- M  n> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 z# Y* i8 \6 L  h> 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
* ~- D4 l7 }: X1 s+ ~* N> 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
2 R; P( J, i& F9 U  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,
; ?, n4 `3 w" U; B: [& E> much less connect with the ball.
& |, z, E- {+ {0 F" V5 ]> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, l) K- g5 I' n" Q! h, q> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( B, s( Z3 D  C> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ s9 r/ v4 ?4 q1 o7 n2 }  h3 ~> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
0 A- Q, W, ^3 t1 D( q> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 L& D2 y+ _- \7 w% k' p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 w, [% Y  f: B> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- s$ ]' C8 A" k; G2 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
% f$ O+ B+ ~% x5 y> 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
5 E$ Y# j, r4 n0 t& S: ~9 Z( v9 U> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- M* p; W; c! k1 }> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 {5 f1 B% n2 Q+ _8 ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# Q6 E* f1 E( I6 T( G  ?> 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,
; a* W: I% j8 J& J: m+ J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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0 z' T: @" ~7 n: z! @3 |> 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!
>
- P$ z: l2 O- s) w8 n5 G+ ]4 f> 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
' U& e2 F! M: k> 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
> 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
3 D# n1 H% q* w# z> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 B2 r5 E# m/ U' D5 k9 I> 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
5 H7 i3 {3 T# S6 j1 l' x> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ K' p! p  |2 W) N# R8 L6 g> bit colder in the process?
>
7 r2 {, {1 L  L7 A0 Z7 a. ]* [> 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:
* Q6 B) R; i  s' R2 ^" G> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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7 C+ `8 x7 Z0 `4 I+ \) P> May your day, be a Shay Day.