Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 a% ~2 d4 T* \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( T+ p" z, V: ~( u: }> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
6 F2 _& k2 s' y! _8 Z5 H$ R+ |' p- m5 m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ l# B: N1 c# \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
/ P6 ]) N$ L& Q0 z% z1 O> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
) ], k' g" q8 N$ o7 ?> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 _( }& d! V& x  j8 e9 A> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 @( o9 p3 T( @3 r  W% ?> 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 b1 ~$ q, Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
: }3 `# r* g( d0 d> 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
9 ~  |( F* C9 ~> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
7 Z+ o5 F( b. J0 v8 y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
$ ?* V4 o+ m, u" E4 D1 l> 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
5 R" N3 W2 K- l( D1 d) |> 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 Q6 i6 X: e- {# O- h> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: o4 Q+ W3 ^6 k$ C) ]& Z: U9 A> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 C, A. {' }! X. x> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 t8 L4 @4 F$ e> 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,
% T4 Q2 x2 }8 {/ Y+ d/ _$ ~6 Z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  v$ l5 _% s7 O$ i) P> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. Z  c0 p& J! V" K8 z> 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.
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9 Q5 ?8 G! z, \0 e> 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
! H$ ^8 e# u9 Q; ^8 u* S" z2 M+ O> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
2 M2 B3 j3 e4 U& G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
% z3 `  W  {7 [- q; r1 ~* w; O# Q> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 u7 ]0 D; K/ x> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
' j1 K$ X* ~1 g# n* E2 p> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: \" W8 l8 t2 _" f2 g# V: x: H& {& ?> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* Y+ t$ Q  q  M. E3 O5 z& c> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 y+ p4 a& Z* r9 X; k  m) I- }> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' j$ R, g3 `7 L9 w4 ~' H% Y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
* T2 s1 p8 @; ~  G> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
; O6 O  Z4 H; p> '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
9 e  N' T3 E' W; h# p* ?0 ~) y> 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
2 ]3 V/ R) X5 }> 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
7 l3 \$ Q6 E( r+ n& `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( o4 P; s4 }1 `$ l; ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
8 {/ f9 y- e# r  T9 N- _: X> '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
( h: @1 d2 ?" ]) X# a> 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?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 W% e+ _2 [2 k; [1 U# t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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; K& w1 g- M. b( Z9 n+ d, _> You now have two choices:
) C+ o$ ?' _0 K+ p+ a) n; t3 N% Y> 1. Delete
% _  p5 n, q+ a" }$ Q& v> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.