Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
> same choice?
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% R7 x4 c  X* v) j$ u; `> 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
7 Y' l, p% @- a& z> staff, he offered a question:
>
2 i' l+ S  L" A7 A' P$ Z" Z( e) V> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! ^$ J5 H9 h: }( T( m> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 i1 S! d/ ?8 l4 l( T> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 v$ ], A/ P/ u2 r> The audience was stilled by the query.
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0 i3 j* E- W- I! h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 X9 g8 Q2 J) w  o1 i; i: r  ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 b& i, j4 N3 H/ _1 }! r> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) p* K; J" d" W; S5 x6 H> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
, @) E0 `. ?# k+ @7 B9 w( e2 c1 j> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
1 V- g* Y" J/ F3 Y# B5 n3 V8 }> 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 Y0 v; N& I" v, R, q( ~! }7 j> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 ^5 }- L* }8 g) X. A> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 x' d) G6 m& ^" @0 B% c% U1 ~> 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.'
>
* Y) v; H" g$ L. L/ V5 b& ^> 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
) A+ S% B8 p5 B$ \9 m> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ M! _' W. g0 _3 O0 [> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
1 B0 L) H# L3 e; `( c4 O8 v> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 _% G, i; S9 O" ?: Q> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ Y, e& C( \& E> next at bat.
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4 M' S# N5 ]" a8 ^> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( c) M% P  S) j( u> 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.
  Q. [+ C5 e! ~> 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.
+ j& G& {3 L: r  [- @) [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" V$ L$ k3 i) T- P> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
5 Z$ C$ I* K  t! N> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
4 @' e: S1 M- q, E, C7 `6 Y) V> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 _, M7 h+ j2 n" {5 x> 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,
( O: {) g1 R0 K> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) @3 k: |" c1 d" r  }$ x> 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
' _' o  F6 j, f& _> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. |6 v4 C! d+ ~- b: {  u> 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,
  T+ q3 Y/ _" i5 u/ d" F. B# E- F> 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.
>
! r# z$ W- H0 P* B5 Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 _" b- z0 f' W, J8 R4 }& A' D7 s> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
4 z5 K) _6 N3 W$ m, b7 Z3 o  o> Shay, run to third!'
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, Z9 `% P8 f- m5 r$ a> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) P/ B0 [; {# y- y, n6 t> 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
3 O8 s8 o: S" E; Y) b9 n; Q4 r8 C9 v> game for his team.
>
6 ^0 t8 Z6 j* N2 P" @0 e> '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
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>
1 o, H! C! {5 d7 V& f( ?' G> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! V  p. R% ?9 }8 I8 y% T2 U9 D> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
+ y0 b" ?/ f4 H/ O9 A> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 \+ }4 H& P( t9 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
9 W, H& \( j. H$ p/ Q> 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.
>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
  v. J* }# E5 ~! i0 {0 r0 S$ L> 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
4 A' q+ [2 L. }5 O! L$ ^* N> 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
) M( O' s9 W( b' ~  I0 h; t, }> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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( P: ^  B# X$ d8 w5 i> 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
- v( q3 K# `; o6 W; K7 u% O> 2. Forward
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- s+ r' |- K) S0 ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.