Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
8 n/ P" C8 T4 S> same choice?
>
> 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
. ~- h5 c. u5 }& Q- v> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ B/ L& ]5 R* r& n( }> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# @$ C0 _: L0 |% I( C> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 r" Z  C; S4 K- Q" @; |! _9 D/ ^0 ^> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) ^9 K: P3 t. J: }# ?> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
+ w2 O) Y2 h) {* t9 U, a( z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. |& l6 P- x2 `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% ]* }6 ?  K/ ^. }0 k% c8 B> treat that child.'
>
> 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
> 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,
- l* j% _6 B& L9 E" Q0 u5 h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
+ D+ [- B2 V  Y1 o, G) n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
. j9 q. M5 M5 W- p> 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
> 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
6 ?% W" X( u! l$ G( l: u> 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
8 G( G5 M& J7 e/ m. j3 f> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
* y2 t- H6 V' W( z' t> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
2 J1 d6 ~6 A& Y$ ~7 U3 R, K( o/ n> 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
1 |: F. a  o" Y! r1 S> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
' G! L( J/ l- a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- u: j! n7 b- j* {" a. |> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
: h5 I6 @1 l6 E' S> 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
, j: Z9 U4 V" b9 B6 L7 v, b" T> 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
6 n% ]% s& @* L. u! c' p; C> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
- j8 y& q3 S; {+ u; q, O> 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
: K# `  @6 d0 r$ J* F& G" {> 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.
>
# |, k$ c- ^9 P* w: F. u> 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
/ H* B) K" d: h2 T5 M> 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,
; ~/ n; H$ P+ ]> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) L& E  o; d  T/ {> 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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( J5 T, x) O7 L$ s5 x5 V9 ^6 j> 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!'
>
. z! }0 T/ E/ m8 N. T( m; F# n> 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
! ~. t3 N- E7 Y" P> 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
> into this world'.
>
> 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
> 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
% t, W, Q3 A4 I8 p2 c- i> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& }/ `6 P$ x# F% x! R+ g4 x> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
, m" ^$ D6 J$ j> 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
> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
3 R  T) K) b+ P' t% s2 V1 w: A$ _) c> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
% l8 P5 X. }' d8 m( o8 M> 2. Forward
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/ b5 D) R) j* x! }> May your day, be a Shay Day.