Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 d, o( ?: w& v) p$ `8 C/ m' {> 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
+ \. G8 @2 Z: d2 \> 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
. n! A* [4 N  ?2 ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
7 y# O( i* E4 k6 u+ r0 }> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 g) {  {( Y  z' D$ u, {& ~> 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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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> 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
7 U$ M9 g' ]7 C+ x> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 y( M, u# u; Y' [" S+ {% x+ K> 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,
- o4 {2 `) K: f- A! |> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
3 z+ I0 v7 f: o9 Z' E7 }1 ]> 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
$ X+ ^3 Y; P" |> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 C; C% t3 M- h( M5 w3 }9 a" ]0 B* h> 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
' z% W' F* B) ?3 m, f, Q; ]1 H> 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
4 D2 Q, _. G3 B' A. q2 h> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
" \, K5 B& w5 u* C" O> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& a. M3 q4 j; U9 Y  }& W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
2 a# V2 w( R  N$ u3 d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, B( I+ F4 }: N5 _: n1 U. s1 ?4 F> 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
> 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
6 ?" ^0 Y6 m& E( S> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
# j1 d1 v. |* f+ T4 a7 n% ]% R> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
' ~6 X" d9 f; G0 X> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
  O6 ]8 e2 v5 ~& 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
" z! }3 P# f  P  ^> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 T3 l; \+ f  p3 S6 T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 E0 Z. J6 ^) @# V> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' a% E. s* b/ U) D% J4 j- @$ V  k6 ^> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* m7 P8 Q9 P1 n  P; [7 s$ K6 C+ d> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
- l% S& f  K$ b/ ~7 s! q8 t* I> 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
$ B# C! c! U" h' q6 u* f> 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
/ v; d# d4 E8 H# _+ r: Q> 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'
>
% ?, m1 h5 ?) U4 k! ]> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, j5 q, F% C( q# e, c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
2 B1 t0 u7 }7 f' G6 |5 h> Shay, run to third!'
>
! Y5 ]& O! S2 {- W! |8 n8 J  f: I> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! r6 _, J: R6 |7 w3 t) J> 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.
>
> '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'.
>
: J7 k5 k! l) C& |> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 e5 z7 C' d7 S: i& U( }0 P1 n) z2 d+ W> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; k( o# s3 \' b0 P1 B3 W) o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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& `; l* e8 J6 g" 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
8 W  ^/ Z9 z) Z> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
) }  G# l" f! L) [1 }2 r> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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- }  E4 H3 H$ ^3 P> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
( Z' k, `" x/ X9 y$ i> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ {  m; e: b& u$ M8 t, Q! z# p> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 O7 f+ f; [5 u3 y7 a> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. s  `1 c) h1 _9 M> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
: `4 E$ K9 D1 {! C$ t> 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 }' m# s: \/ h) \; `> bit colder in the process?
>
8 w5 A# C* @& S& \  W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* J; Q  d/ T2 i! z4 g> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* y, c7 a& j/ b- d> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.