Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
; \# D3 h: y- }# s. `( a7 J> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' A. _5 ~- |- G  ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ p' Z! W) ^9 ?. @> '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?'
>
; ~7 w) w) e9 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 ]$ k* ]. e3 B* i, A7 G* x> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 \% m1 `( Z1 ^; Z% x& |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
3 a$ y& `6 N* w> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
* Q0 r2 N* D7 B9 Q( a2 V> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* `1 X& |3 ]% Y' d> 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
7 v7 ?5 u5 T' x0 w" Q> 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
' s: E& y9 X, ~> 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
, b1 e8 Y- b$ h4 W> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
> 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
8 r4 C6 ~# G3 K/ a: T; J1 G> 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
, g- \4 V# i( s! g> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
0 _5 o! ~' G7 d8 D% f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
; C1 m% @" [, m> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ M1 o) ^$ m6 t) l> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
3 i+ O: o( u/ t  j>
! C, i- a+ t$ i# i6 m" J/ V> 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
2 g+ Q) O! {2 m> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
2 n1 D$ {4 ~( h: v> 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
" v% `6 V. H& T7 B) V/ P> 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
- B, |, ^. K1 B7 C> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# t% c9 T% b7 G" z0 {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
8 K" w+ B- N1 A' c> right back to the pitcher.
>
4 J1 b1 Q; j7 G4 s> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& m* @& {$ l$ d6 Z  j> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
/ Y/ g! b) I3 r, U  B3 U- i> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
- M- q* I3 y. }  v7 Y5 A7 @7 \( B> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' c5 K3 x& x$ I/ _6 H/ Z0 q  P1 u4 e> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
- Q% J0 f" r" i$ n  l8 c> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  ]: U- r- a$ _, W3 n5 e> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 c1 a  x7 z% |> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
( U9 N( \) |- P$ f& Z> 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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6 K' I" r9 I5 ^" q> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
0 ^% _" O  ~9 Z) i- j+ S+ t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
8 \: e) y  Z$ ~6 Q3 y; L> 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
2 b& d0 R2 V# ~9 K) _7 v8 a> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
9 ~9 j' J2 P5 g* E> game for his team.
>
5 @! B, S' `1 d- G8 w8 Q> '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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( C% R' N) s+ `1 N+ x3 H> 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!
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# f, U8 D. ?: x> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; V, F- _3 E$ n& O> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 l3 g3 c; p8 O" E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
4 Q8 o: N* T0 m, a7 C: |> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  L5 B9 F% k2 d> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
% o% z7 z' S" \% E8 g> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 T6 l# l- q' }/ x0 J> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! Z7 J) O4 e: `6 O* D5 P> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% j/ n' W3 o( S) Q> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
" {* r* ]- W9 `  y# T4 E> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
( q: ]6 R7 r4 x1 u> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 P# o8 z% t* B& _5 o8 Q8 S- b> 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
$ W( H# i$ B/ l" ~$ n$ y" |6 D( C> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 G* Y1 w* W* q2 f. z- ^3 E> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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  E% p  n/ i1 s% @( @' j6 d4 }> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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7 y9 ^8 i3 R6 |$ F8 Z2 c> May your day, be a Shay Day.