Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, w7 Q4 r- E( S( U& K> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( |& s6 ?1 D1 t- n> same choice?
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& L! J+ L$ `9 X! B& F9 @2 u$ K/ P+ r> 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
" m$ s- K& ~$ q% v7 }% T7 ?> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 G6 `# P( N* u% I+ B7 C$ k> 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.
>
, g) w9 D  \0 O3 X; B& j0 k, y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( Q6 L% V; M5 N" P8 Y: ^2 y> 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.'
>
- _/ m+ ~& ^' a  H- `$ W4 C> 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
- u* o2 y* K5 G( t- V' `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% b" i. ^1 t& |+ n- }/ i- P* y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
* z5 [) J. R" T1 W7 G> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! S' D; @5 ?% M) X> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- G% E% w" `: U5 \1 H6 U> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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0 i( p% ^% g% X- V& G5 c> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) M# A* U1 S; b1 o> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' b! x- H/ e4 z+ Y> 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
% |8 [* m; B. v% z( s/ s; {> inning.'
>
> 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
0 s5 ]$ z7 e" i1 z) T) D$ L> 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
- T$ P6 \. \* Z, 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
1 \+ R. L9 g0 i3 t( l$ B' l> 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.
>
> 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,
# l' P+ l* x+ R1 V( M2 N+ r> much less connect with the ball.
& f6 h+ k4 S+ O% n> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ j6 Y$ n, d3 f> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# @9 J/ l: X2 z6 H! Y9 _) [> 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.
9 A7 x# }+ d- ]! E  J5 H) z> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ ?4 b% R! n' G; M7 I5 B> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( x) b, `! J( ]6 L' Y> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
) B9 F7 F. P& u/ y( [6 T6 c> 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
, N5 f: Q* U. Q) ~3 `* b' E> 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
% w  E. O" @  s2 p> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 O& b) t3 T" f$ ^> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ P8 P; K; y& X8 `. D, I  U' k> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- q( N4 u3 P5 D, Z, i> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# e# J* }5 a* E' r( q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; X1 ~3 r1 F2 `& a' ~' G8 X4 q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ v" L: k8 U+ I' O  p. S# M> 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.
>
# r- w5 l7 y5 b% J> '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'.
>
. V) f, X8 f. `; l. d: a( k& w3 A' t> 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
/ k7 {5 ^7 J+ }7 y! B+ ~- ]" o  O> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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: j* b3 s5 v. Q8 m1 L* e2 c# V> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
# F4 f+ Z* B. |0 j7 ]: m# A( ~> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 H+ z+ f3 q- U> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
% [) V) x: q& m# m' E* W> 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
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
2 \* p6 f& |% S7 u> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- R# d# l0 i- Y$ T- @* F. E6 f> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ {. ~- y+ Z  C+ G/ d( d, Y0 e> You now have two choices:
( O  }: p7 c% m) K) V! m> 1. Delete
0 {/ ~7 {3 a# q% Q8 S! ?> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.