Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  L8 W% _4 f8 N; y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& m5 _: X( N9 U5 U; Q% k> same choice?
>
0 b/ p9 n3 L$ ]9 J' B; S) i* p3 w> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
, s7 ?8 X- }8 x* t; E  B> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- E7 X; l+ c( s! h" E) ~. k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
: g) C$ Q. I8 T' z6 {> '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
7 M8 l% [& R5 y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! a) A' [5 x1 v3 r! d3 k4 e' P" \3 X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' C* H3 p0 D2 F2 B1 V$ M* `& @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" Z/ b6 g% m( t# p6 i: _% E> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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* b2 x! _5 V/ G& N  O> 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
* x! _6 ~2 H: F$ f7 Y5 H8 r> 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
& [9 _8 w) H# p0 `: P4 `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
# j" E# k; K9 O> 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
; y* e% H4 W1 v  k% ^$ N> inning.'
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' w9 A5 q/ R& m5 m% @& m0 Q/ j9 b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% a4 J* _/ i* b& P% N> 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
/ J  d% m& ]" Q1 @' K, X> 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
; n& ~  T- V. E4 `8 U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' B" v6 }: S$ J8 E6 c/ o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
# E9 }3 W; Z" G1 Q. O> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
! l( b/ \0 o( O& _3 \. z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
3 Y& p. B6 @7 u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ `# J" X7 v1 G8 f  ]% u> next at bat.
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> 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
+ ^) m5 z( ^6 u  G: A> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
2 n7 N' }# j* X- c6 D0 Z6 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- z9 \1 s& k6 w7 A> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 i) c, u. I% P" N> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
  X8 Y6 J' `) M; h: R> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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
" P- J3 Z3 ]- o; E> 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.
>
; C; t. n! c  b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 T" K6 e) U/ E! M6 O> 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
4 @( I+ ?1 c" r5 U9 D> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 H0 G( j* @' m" R1 P; F+ f0 c+ I! r> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
$ Q4 z+ q% t7 a> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% O$ f, E) e! V) ~: W, f2 ]$ m! D> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
- w, P* p# ]# @4 \6 {3 a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* U9 n. C# w. T; G  V% I) G6 G> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 z/ l8 ?& d- g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- w' _, _: g, B, x$ |: O! w4 f" e) S> 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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> '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
> into this world'.
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+ E2 X9 c, i" k8 j7 f: Z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ _9 p/ W. B, i8 s! \> 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!
>
8 g  u% \3 K9 u, ~# k- d8 |  _, B> 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
% s8 T* z. R( u! Z7 z6 _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
$ E1 J) D4 y/ {" A$ l; m; B* t> 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
; r, W8 p' ~0 w3 {4 b8 O: G, G> '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
/ K: ~" p) Q5 K( I8 d. F> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
% L3 ]4 I0 N  G4 A7 e3 x> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 P$ I, c2 D( f2 H> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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4 E6 @. w" u. P! i% g7 z7 I! O1 P1 @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; L9 t$ S0 V) i4 D9 N7 V6 m+ h> 2. Forward
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6 C: K; u3 q- {% e5 R$ {1 z0 h  w7 u> May your day, be a Shay Day.