Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, P, w) t$ ]" Q* j* F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ U. l% Y6 u* s; S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, s4 x7 P' @8 {, Y1 Z8 r) ]3 `> 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
2 C- c1 @  s6 i% R$ t4 n> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 z, J8 ^; e8 `# K) f: [' o> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 K5 ]4 p& a3 B$ U> 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?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' s- o' E9 ~4 ]> 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
> 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
> 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,
, ?) y. o2 {) a7 L3 B> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& ~$ |7 u+ x: i0 G9 O> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 J7 T! e& K1 Y! V* J7 @8 t5 w> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, V4 q) W% Y8 Y) l; ^$ o$ S4 _% q> 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
: y# m# I" Q1 E! P1 T> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ p; a0 c0 i) A" b> inning.'
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' }, E6 X9 p2 e5 H& v' W> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 u8 w' j/ I: |* B> 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
- a, Z6 w- U( M$ H8 k$ k> 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
3 M: \4 m! Y- P' f> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% U: p5 G" U4 t6 d: ^7 c2 ~> 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
) g# V3 ~- m' g5 d; \> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" J. C  V9 H* h) x  j- f7 V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 K% _, g2 S6 K; O& e' X5 n> much less connect with the ball.
5 Z! B! @1 v1 z% `> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
2 @8 y0 j5 G+ U3 Y> 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
; Z) C5 S$ a: j9 O) O1 I> 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.
>
- X# k& m; O3 l> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
5 d6 W. M4 b2 s> 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,
+ B4 i% v# G" |' C' j5 c0 C" ]+ S> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
6 Y) Z% ]: l0 J0 V- L+ T> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# s0 K: H8 k: D; B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
0 z* g5 ?9 Q, X3 b% C& b> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ z% ?- s6 c& C5 a9 q8 `2 o> 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.
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> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& m6 ?; X1 P! [( |$ r1 s  u! L> Shay, run to third!'
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: D! B( }; I6 R+ ~' c> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
. z9 \/ @1 |- w$ X8 e1 ~7 j> 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
( G3 m$ e+ L* O> game for his team.
>
, C  M* _/ N% \+ P9 M- j3 s  D$ [> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" w, `: X! g+ |> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
0 B- ]6 a& w8 V> 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!
>
1 V# G+ {. h: w> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 O5 D1 u$ q( ~0 _5 ]: r> 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
> 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
0 D& o0 \4 ]$ P8 e+ `> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
) c% @% m6 j# U! Y> '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
' j2 J. f5 l! \9 i  c6 N> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% E7 c+ m' c6 l+ l* j5 \) r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
4 \" g7 t4 y6 |' H* n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
: w: h! H! @+ ~$ H% U& ^2 W" E4 j1 B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
# Y# F% ^2 Z0 q' ^4 W+ l> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.