Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 Y" M! S9 [$ Q, R( I> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
8 I$ ^# ~' L% V$ q0 Z8 L6 J> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. S) r) f' Z" o/ s+ @3 L> 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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$ }& V; r' p' i. j# o> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 u; q, w9 w1 Y6 N. F/ 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?'
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4 L2 F. i& d. A% K& }1 P' N> The audience was stilled by the query.
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  N9 I; _% z# r> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: `, f% i' l. V6 q5 C> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
1 d2 \( D) ?5 @! l> 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
5 Q2 n* |+ k0 w' V' I" a> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' V. l* }; Z9 s& I' p> 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
# n: K+ n' d* F! K, }# k( V: a> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
# X# a+ Y3 q' M  T2 g5 e> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
9 i6 x, l) }7 G/ v3 J: u6 I> 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
5 [/ |6 n& P' s7 u1 N1 E  E> 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
' @1 d# K* o  @( I1 h0 l& R2 J/ D> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
; y1 c8 s, V+ f3 X! F> next at bat.
>
5 m& @  G3 ]; `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
# |3 L& J' g3 b0 U. A0 S6 u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
- d& K+ {7 z7 V, ^( L& `4 v4 y> 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
> 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
1 p7 ~3 c' m- S" a. ?  B> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, _0 w! R7 G; f3 A. M> 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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2 \3 I$ a# |( o! e> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  x, j9 ?! o- `% r4 V1 q> 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.
>
% f2 |; ?: C: K5 H! P) v> 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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0 C2 e* ?: @* _> 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
% l6 B2 G& x0 ~> 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,
- _( K; J8 `5 ~" C2 }> 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
* ^$ o, f: N; Z, z+ y  z- z( n' q> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 O7 \3 B" v" N% D, [3 C: J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( @% u3 w5 k$ u8 P5 L6 K> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 h7 H+ S( s' U7 |> Shay, run to third!'
>
% ?' m1 c2 |$ P# g+ K- `6 i0 ^6 ]> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 o( F0 a4 y  Y  H- o  @3 {* F) P> 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
> game for his team.
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% Z0 B6 H* r. B1 J: f> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
  O0 v1 p- v. {0 [> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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- d6 A, S0 }; x> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
* X: O, x4 p+ {4 y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 |" J; u4 z  \2 x> 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
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* d. D( L" P4 b0 v& ]: c; }- h> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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1 }/ o1 f% V" y/ \% n& p* [> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
- }4 N: y" @7 i) B6 g) L, x* z> 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
( \+ I' u, E8 J> 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
) Y/ X7 U  `; w: X( _' r> 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
1 D4 G- u* [6 k% P> bit colder in the process?
>
% ~1 z1 w! B, z" P  d+ x' F1 K> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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, q7 [# R4 a) Z! j4 p> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
' t9 x2 ]$ f  M# @: o5 o> 2. Forward
>
! ~! ~# E6 W% z5 h; E% y> May your day, be a Shay Day.