Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 ?2 |: V, A/ ?' [( d2 x3 ?4 q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 {" V( a1 h  Y$ J! w" f( [> same choice?
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7 R, }% C" C" e9 d; l4 x4 i; Y" Y' s> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- [5 Z  U- }4 k& `> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
$ t# G* \/ k9 u0 ^- L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( W! B5 P+ K! S; G+ a/ G6 F# R9 ^> staff, he offered a question:
>
: `% P. c- n4 {6 k. M2 t. K$ k> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' L# _6 @7 I# q& @> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
$ X6 U8 Q/ _& F> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 b. Y* r* y1 J; W> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 T1 M$ Z# E' d1 G; V% N. e> 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
> 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
) [7 V6 g' R/ e, H& c> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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1 k% l; w! y1 S0 y- I5 f6 `6 J> 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.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: n4 ?0 P! P' \# V$ u> 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
- ]+ r$ o. P+ C> 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
, d, A# a: S! A. l3 v" A> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
! k4 D' @7 E" D7 e! k2 ^; [> 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
! Q. n, n; A% `3 P5 o& s9 L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
5 g0 G$ M% @4 s3 x9 F9 }> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  o, m7 O# L) p5 [- U- M; G> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ ~- U( m' I7 K> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" B- z- c' U3 G8 a+ V> 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
5 j: e, \" {: K3 u0 p; o> right back to the pitcher.
>
! Q) E3 k7 w4 m6 d1 i- w9 L8 m> 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
" L" i4 \+ Q' q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
/ m' Y6 u' @# m. |0 `, T& c' o& @( B> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
/ v0 H1 P2 J! w9 Q> 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
" P: N7 Q( [* G. y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
0 G' q0 i0 s4 E3 A> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 b  N4 `- f8 ^2 J4 C. M> 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
> 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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1 |7 z1 H% X3 o- ~> 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!'
>
, i- d3 }" g4 C7 x. `* F) N> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; o* ?3 O$ q6 I7 e+ c& ^; I> 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
5 d2 e. [! W6 v6 K! O# j& b( P> game for his team.
>
9 u4 R8 Z/ |, j# k" z6 p9 U> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 u6 t% A) ^2 N, M9 c: W$ f> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
+ q: M* s# m( @# d7 h> into this world'.
>
0 J* x! r+ e; ]8 @+ f  h) U  E8 y> 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
, K2 {: o7 e* |% e+ `> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
: r  d& B, E  o9 Z$ o> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 ?$ P; Y  |- r# o3 A. I> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 h0 l% E1 r( j0 U8 w% j& s6 G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 h0 Q! U( X5 T; Y, I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
( ]# G+ S2 ^9 m: q, S; y/ }> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
0 t2 D3 D9 Y# R9 G1 O> 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
  Z) [( g8 l6 G4 ?. R% q, H  Y2 H% O> 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
7 a; \: |$ f& z& I9 L> bit colder in the process?
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  N& R( O& f7 _. N1 _. v> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
' j: X; i5 R8 F> May your day, be a Shay Day.