Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; m- v9 Z8 ~% q8 w! y; I. V> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 w( r5 U8 R  M0 V8 w> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, c, Q& V9 x, C/ _! b) B% ?> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. Y) b, w& ?, t1 k2 K1 ~  A5 S> staff, he offered a question:
>
& D& Q6 g( S6 B8 ^$ q+ o( a> '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
* n3 H: X4 X% N  _- C> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 T7 v$ y9 e% Z- q; |> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ n. F5 a: T* V; ^# n0 ]> 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.'
>
% j( W% [. {. r" w> Then he told the following story:
>
: i' @# X8 p" t, }> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 Q5 Y; }" M0 h8 z, r0 t> 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,
) z# v" ]5 E( N2 ^> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
1 Z+ q# U8 g$ w& u1 v# n+ N( |/ C8 w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
7 i( s* ~) p7 i' f/ A3 g. V> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
! q% P: B2 A& b> 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
# i) _  D9 U; v- d0 t- P3 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
& T6 X/ L3 g4 M4 q$ x! j5 C! F- b9 o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
6 Z8 S. `: K4 o9 f/ z3 i> 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
( P" X, a! z$ o0 G> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
- c! ?; r# F( J9 Y* i  K7 o> 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
# @- D' N" i3 c& |$ B5 u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
2 E1 [4 D) r; a- ^: Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
+ Q' a* S  [5 q! B! N* j2 G/ d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 q) F" m% r& V0 C> 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
4 h( O  Q- Q% k9 m7 `> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ {' `  U5 S2 t( ?4 V- o& f> 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
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
) [0 Z" ^6 r* C4 p: s> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
- C$ ~( M1 a4 C" }1 }* G> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
6 Y$ d- k* W8 j# w3 W) {& W3 }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 Q( i. ~1 `: {/ [& T; i> 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
> 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
8 m6 I& X* H: j1 c* a' v. Y( p+ C> 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
4 P4 k1 X; P* U4 {( f> 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'
>
> 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!
> 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
> game for his team.
>
7 G9 D: i4 s7 G2 O6 M$ `> '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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/ ]7 R! E: [( j; T* u/ N> 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
) G5 M2 N6 Q# j- B> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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% M6 v8 Y, w8 X! ]; p- h8 k> 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
4 Y+ C" n% w9 _5 @: S( q' W* G" R> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; ]: `- c# k7 v> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" f) h$ P) o4 K9 z4 h' O) ?> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
- ]' o8 P# `7 x) `> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 h. t9 b3 J' L" i2 I  p> 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
  K/ |- k9 I8 {/ P5 J  V( G> bit colder in the process?
>
> 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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- H0 w0 h( N2 z! o> May your day, be a Shay Day.