Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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+ Q/ N2 z  W+ k3 ]$ W9 k> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- a) @# [# f1 S- o2 m5 j+ c# N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 U! \. d' x3 @  u> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
! l- J' M3 e/ T* `> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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3 B1 ]& m; J4 _' I: ]' n: n/ b> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: J7 Q/ Z4 l" t" _! V! \. c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 K; ^4 ]3 ^& `6 |4 [) k> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; J1 |0 Z0 n) ^! m$ c  p> 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 Q0 z9 c8 D> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
2 m8 A. _9 |) g' M>
' ~  v$ n/ \2 W- A' M  f> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 D; G8 U2 V  }. e. k- }" N$ A& 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
  ]6 k* Y' Z# Z% m> 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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6 N0 S5 N' @) O9 [( @7 ~- w> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( Z! t$ G) f& T/ `) Z> 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
' i8 L3 H. T* L2 z> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 T( J. h1 G2 t6 J- b, ^1 k> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ g/ `! L9 t6 `" Y5 @> 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
. D  I/ z/ @- {) a/ N3 ~$ H# g* I> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
( @, f- n+ l9 p8 d> 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.
>
. F; }3 b7 Y7 p2 D> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
: m, E0 K0 D5 i; O0 B; y1 _1 y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! z8 s" b: y+ Z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
- s% ]. m9 C) r. x4 D* j> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& `" Q5 s- A$ m# ?3 w; V> 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
> 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.
2 P5 e( f4 U1 O$ H! T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. c* K0 Y) n5 d/ M/ A> right back to the pitcher.
4 a+ a& o% E; D. D, n>
: c( ?# ?' ^: |> 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
2 o# H7 y) Y" q/ j! [$ p3 d> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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3 E1 o+ Q, x- w' F> 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
+ v" R; d1 h. R> 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
> 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
5 }: q# O0 e/ t* Q> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; H$ k1 N- k$ Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 a- R3 Y8 D% e5 m" O7 R> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' f, p2 {' N( i- c( a# w: R> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( r0 o% {9 R0 `> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
( y( q- P  I2 g1 T2 Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 @5 g  ]' b3 e0 n  [. B6 C1 b> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* M( _* i5 l3 j! v& L, i- o> Shay, run to third!'
>
: c6 ]9 V; q+ z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( t0 o. @9 \, L, a$ W: I% q+ ?> 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
5 A6 Q. z8 ]& Q" }. {5 U* _; n> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& _0 T( I- T! o1 B+ g0 I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
% ~% B0 ]6 V4 E8 y% j1 r6 u& x7 e) J> 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
5 z( w$ g& N) p2 l: z: s, c) d9 Z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
8 ~& Y2 r/ ]) S/ U' R> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
; \( a7 E: d2 J( ^* S6 Q> 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
+ }; `4 [1 K+ R- \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 G9 _/ T- M* O% o8 \> bit colder in the process?
>
) b! _8 B) N1 ^$ k4 h> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% q' r% ]8 }9 K( d- L. y> 2. Forward
>
. Y% ~6 L' T4 ]) c6 W6 ^> May your day, be a Shay Day.