Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ |' A; {0 l% @# Q1 W1 T> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# ~/ D( x4 |- U) i# @7 V/ f  e. R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% r5 f$ p# Y% j> 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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1 T2 u) Q4 k/ `5 R, f% n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 H* V7 m# {$ C* ?( \* m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
! u. m! S& B% Z0 i% S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# l3 ~2 J( ]6 ~; `" H' I6 D& r2 A) y> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
; E8 @& c8 x5 t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# O. M2 g6 w# s: f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* B6 @+ N$ d6 v) E> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; y- I: H2 S% t+ G2 y: Y: C- X! x> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ l1 ^+ @5 ?4 @4 \5 v. m( P2 i( P: _> 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,
5 k/ G/ [* Q$ D8 W$ ]% n> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
# Y1 z, h0 y: A1 c( m+ j> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
( D1 Q/ m+ h: U5 C( H3 m> 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
> 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
( `4 a' J4 u2 H" @$ C) M: O> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( ]# Z8 u9 n' D2 T> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> 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,
6 |2 g/ m9 d4 @; J% G+ L6 h0 q> much less connect with the ball.
5 I% n. j% l1 d! D# V  j> 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
/ a* ]- @" Y; O/ E# h3 u> 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
8 Z5 |2 H% A! P1 m> right back to the pitcher.
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4 j; q, l- H) L> 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
9 n% W" _9 w5 J4 E) j9 }9 O# n& b> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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* j7 H1 w5 K4 [$ e) o7 T> 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
6 e- B9 T  P. K, F2 i7 k> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, _& P* x2 z% y1 q& t> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 Z- T5 `7 T$ d8 X" 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
$ Q- z6 O  E1 E2 U> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
/ e% N/ d6 S3 R> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 A9 p: d- D; ]; G> 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
$ T: x9 w+ T/ u; A/ l( {& \> 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
6 s1 P+ r$ [8 n% c$ y2 v+ s6 {/ ~* o: l> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
% \$ _! |$ n5 Z8 }' `7 m> 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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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
( b6 _* \$ a7 E9 D/ K> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
! {% t! X$ V: f* L# l8 C# r8 X9 x3 i> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
1 m8 Y* w" A8 E, G& ?> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
' U% x  k6 ]7 Z2 G. e: H3 s" u  D> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* g6 H$ G0 M: l; K* h> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 @: j; v5 C6 z: [7 d* k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
5 b' z1 W' f, S. o" U> 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
> 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
+ r! ]+ u$ h) Z" d0 p5 G> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> 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
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.