Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 E6 |  k% M, t, h4 h8 L* y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- z% _& p5 ^3 i, \6 E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  t: o  ]& J$ o' ^& ~/ N> same choice?
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. k5 L+ M! T, Y8 j) t: v1 g9 T> 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
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. b/ K# Y9 I5 w$ b> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 ]9 o3 E& I% R. \: m* g3 [$ N# y$ u> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ ^0 m  m/ ]/ N> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. Q, D. F2 J" x- {. J. Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( n/ p9 m3 I' L& k1 b" c* k1 {2 c> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
% O5 k8 d( l" B  b$ I5 |5 s> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 g6 e1 q' r: F% q1 X> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 T0 W* O. x( m: \; V> 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
' r% j: j; ]* C1 a% r9 D0 ]> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) l- M3 Q% |) f! b3 C> inning.'
>
> 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
( k4 I3 a3 q3 i! F0 ^> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
9 z7 d7 s& x0 ^9 |$ L2 v, D> 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
& w" }7 k. S$ Y* h$ O: z  G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
( V) k/ f. r+ N( H; j! G; q> 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
) S( E6 q: W6 z" L> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; t  E$ F* f! g: Y0 s+ f> 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,
6 u$ p# j& M2 W! r4 j> 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
, ~4 p/ D0 Q' Z9 k) J> 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
# _: ]6 k* y8 x; S> 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
& b! S- @) _2 G> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& F+ a, \" U- P/ u% k; y& P/ \1 a> 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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> 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
' @* A  a8 i5 h8 n) I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
4 v1 j9 X0 W% `' Z> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ L, ~+ K* a, x: C* w& P& _9 a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  y3 v# J! m. D% H, n> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
  l9 ~5 T: L5 K; R2 P# R> 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
! X. e- y/ Z4 E5 q3 E) Y  |> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* l# ?- }) o3 L- N> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
" f' E% _, C9 C% |8 y3 q# N+ \  F4 L% _> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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6 f7 t1 K. d3 _4 S) I> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
* Y! Q( D. x: g+ u2 t3 s2 g' j> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
4 `7 m8 e8 q% v. ]: j> 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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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
$ B& U, e9 k: @- e; j) M0 W) [> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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& }/ L9 M3 ]$ Q, y2 {; e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
' k: ^2 i, [3 Z> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% A5 a, P5 C' S* H' T> 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
  Y" O7 [4 [0 C: J% S- _> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" G. G' U) s. s  Z, \" H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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5 x4 v/ r0 n& G& h* ?, D% S> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# Y% J3 S+ t8 N2 c  Y, D+ F> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" D+ q/ M9 [5 B> '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
( w9 I/ w. Q! }+ z% V> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 P. ^" Z# I) @; `1 M7 U> 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
! U( P" b$ |" u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
4 s% }9 \( `* m8 r* x> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.