Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 s6 J/ T+ W+ c> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" A5 H3 Z( r! }7 z# l' o/ ^; f8 {> same choice?
>
1 x" y7 C+ N( c! f% ~4 h) W0 a! j( |> 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:
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/ T2 O4 m, B7 f) X3 W+ ]0 U> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ o/ g+ E5 `( k- \; J4 m8 K" b> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 p9 @/ }- D; |4 J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' C; M9 G% B. v3 {> 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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( E5 ~4 x- F. t> 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
( c3 O! r2 [* C4 _- I  Z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 S6 u9 w6 h' h( Y% [> 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
) N+ T8 G: y' }! p> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 o9 P1 r7 O2 I. R> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 p* [; X: d( |+ |2 y" j  z> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 s' b5 M) B& m4 a> 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
; [5 `- g" r, D> inning.'
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0 G+ A+ s5 f) u2 ?> 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
4 Y+ D, F; r  d. {/ j( U> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- A. b; a2 t) x> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ S/ e% x$ Y2 c! e6 [> 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
$ J, x. {2 }& \# z9 B5 R5 g> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* _( _# T- m9 t0 n0 p( `- P> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
8 E$ g# R! E+ t* [> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
4 x" M# B# v) J& D9 i> much less connect with the ball.
5 W2 K) ^! w5 _1 T& Q> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 g+ R0 u4 W' p2 w- y% j) f> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( H9 }9 L$ e+ G0 r& t3 Y0 E- ?; ~- t> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ L2 n. [: w# [9 j> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
% y9 K* h( m) [3 L> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' ~# ?, `4 W$ m# [- T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 E& m% M. C, d> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& v* \  a# l5 J2 \> 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
> 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,
> 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
( r! j& L" W4 G1 t0 D- f6 H1 |( {> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
3 Z& D) ]7 I" l) ~& o5 q& A> 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
0 v2 A, }1 R9 q- q7 e: N* `1 `2 p> 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'
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5 G2 m4 d4 G5 k  ~: x( O8 C> 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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+ C" F/ Z1 P- |, n+ j4 w> 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
1 r( ?. N( s" W  x2 o* i& C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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
* {" G$ K% }6 F5 v2 X( e> into this world'.
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> 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
* s7 W" A9 y+ F> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 F6 L3 P0 c% S> 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
6 m8 W, h) n2 D! [5 H  A$ I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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+ L+ K* U. j) g4 b: ]> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
8 U! n" e# P+ y, u/ y) r> 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
4 Z( p& J0 L* O2 O9 m1 [> 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
: e% X6 D, B; U- S> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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$ B4 `( F4 p% C2 o> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
# U. N/ t! q9 n3 u2 X# G> May your day, be a Shay Day.