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
> same choice?
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> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
4 a& _. v2 }6 @, o. g$ q6 A" Q9 t> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" F- N6 x1 M3 q> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& J3 B4 b/ Z$ }  U+ g0 Z( X> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 H, w8 h# A/ i% E" `5 d$ |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> 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
  s* f/ @# E% Q- K$ Y$ A> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 b" ]. J# X- d7 n- r' V; _> 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,
+ F) v+ F$ V+ X2 b' e* j% b> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ ^6 ?  X8 V* D) Y! n> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
" |" F. ^( z# o- r" w1 n> 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
5 f, F! f. o& T1 Z" e9 \0 j4 Q> 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
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  F7 J' d* y* p* u> 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
# o; P; Y: x" d) G  u6 s5 I; r3 w> 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
0 X# Q# K/ P: {& X" u; I3 y+ H" l0 l+ G> 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,
, F9 d5 H1 Q6 K7 ^> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 U8 V# M( i# K4 V> 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
8 h8 v1 l1 d. N: I3 ?> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! W' ?6 o  n/ Q> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 Y2 _9 m( [4 P& m: k- o; ?7 Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 B) n6 O3 }! N, ~* e2 r. F> 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
8 L. j8 O8 @6 B0 X> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
+ r; R( u. S% s5 u! T+ J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
$ D5 d" N* f& u% X& I> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
% n) g' W* M5 G  |; y6 B( q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 M7 O! r0 H6 X, b' q+ T> 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
$ \% g; q/ C. E$ G  R' O; `> 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 `% T- l7 m- a+ A> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 q' y+ c! S5 J/ Q) h4 v> circled the bases toward home.
>
  S- B' p# B2 e/ k! Y1 `> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
> 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
; y9 y" o- K; w( {0 O> 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
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& a. u  ^. B" w& q6 o, ?8 y- v> 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!
>
2 W4 n! U! f0 `9 e> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; J: B7 }2 d8 ?' u7 s. l! a> 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
- Z4 [$ v! d8 d( u> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. u  F$ }) h9 D/ j> 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
" T1 p" p  r8 X4 ^- m> 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
) f& B$ D% ~% C> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: P# v) z. d& t6 |> 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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$ l4 f6 [; v3 `) y> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, [# M% @) q+ @8 z9 h> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 o! A! P" D# S) j; p2 z> You now have two choices:
0 |# z3 m8 {' x! Q- `' o  q> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
+ r. L  [) ]# ~, d5 r> May your day, be a Shay Day.