Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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' }4 d. q: x* l  o) K2 K> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' c9 B6 R9 W3 m; c1 |' \: W> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
> 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
! ^7 P( P0 X0 u3 K' f4 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! ^0 Z; y5 ^6 x8 V> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ ~# V0 \. i. v6 M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: D9 I6 N; y$ n; D8 V$ _+ }0 f: ?> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' r) {" J' Z1 ^# c+ b> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* S$ k' Q& M  N3 X6 ?> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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7 o7 d$ V# E. r0 T$ ?4 k/ A4 U. t> 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
* k$ g2 N  O0 D5 {7 G( @> 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,
4 k6 S2 m, T% F. {> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
( G$ n4 e! [8 l> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 V: S7 S4 V7 s( F& X5 `6 @* E> 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
! O7 [% U+ K5 c% |- W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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" c& f3 A2 q. q> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
+ F- W: m% W+ Z2 Q6 w> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
- w5 z9 F+ h2 U2 L% D, I> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 y# m+ C, n" l8 J+ t. _0 k9 ]> 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
/ \; x# g, ]% @7 f> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ E+ p) @- Y6 _7 x$ j> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( c0 f- [8 Y% l, ~> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
! C9 n2 J  a: W9 R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
$ `- \; @; D5 s3 |> 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
$ J# |0 i8 s* l2 {4 L6 U4 x> 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.
9 d4 F7 r% x2 L* i> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
9 f: v8 [5 ?, n/ i9 N+ j# T; d/ P> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
. ~( N. n& Y/ V0 o. F0 r4 y> 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.
>
! G% n( Q) U) Z  Z0 {1 e! q& D> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
, A. J7 A3 a3 U) c> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> 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
> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- B; R6 W& F+ A; I$ u> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
, Y: ~8 R5 c( C  Q7 q2 B+ J$ `% {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. u" H$ B- D. A> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
- s, `! ~5 W" S9 x9 t( ~> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
! S4 j. o  ]+ M1 [. O. l$ C! X> 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!
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  j0 i6 X) d( l( O- G: D> 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
$ S" w5 _/ v0 P" N  L> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
4 N/ S, N; B, s) X! `  D> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
: G# `6 f& q" w3 }8 C> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 H9 |+ Z, `9 {/ Z0 p. K$ }> 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
> 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
; u6 d& E& J2 ], h: m> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
, T4 @. k+ Y$ d' W6 j1 J6 Z> 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
( [( K* ?2 m1 D0 d) }. Y  F+ ~1 `> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.