Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- b1 }" h$ w* T+ v, I/ T; H- p> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& L2 [. g+ L; N$ p> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
% [( y) u4 H% s- B9 k2 z> 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
& S: H' V3 a( R' @> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 h# X9 [: B: i4 p> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! z, G; Q  c& a2 ~> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" l- ^; v; J. c4 h, L8 Z9 C> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 Z, c% I0 n: t2 v  ~7 A> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) j1 ?8 l" X) A, ]4 d0 d  q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 j" h) k+ h8 B* w0 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 _# ?" |% I/ n/ r> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
$ L& M" j( O, N6 a- ?# u% C> 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
6 l0 R) ^# f4 ?9 b: F& u> 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
5 h1 J( q( @, A6 A8 ]; {9 P3 _% L> inning.'
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> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 H* f1 V1 t9 E2 b: l1 B1 y$ ]* k> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 ^- a& i2 K* p) P> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 N# o* r* R; O> next at bat.
>
  Y+ ~3 x5 W  v1 N' ]' f8 q3 j6 H> 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
/ H4 ^# k  z* t' H; H> 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.
, s, i0 x" A  N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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.
>
> 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
; y7 [$ b$ W: C$ W- \> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ A  T; {# p0 c4 G1 s  X4 k6 \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
7 o8 H2 c, o7 Y5 h, [7 u> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) H: i6 k4 G5 G6 f> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( ]% p' o2 c- D. q' x7 s3 U- c0 S> 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,
' ]/ _  ~) H6 [> 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
  B/ Q/ n1 Q& A! z; v; y9 B, q% V% I> circled the bases toward home.
>
  E3 _8 P% n0 e, }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
. Q# H2 _0 _# |) v> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
& ~  l$ j1 P: Q! M: |& G0 ?> 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
: V# L) d/ V3 f$ o" k- c> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
/ n. W# e* j; ^> game for his team.
>
8 z/ C6 ^$ I+ [2 e: R, L) u> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" }6 n" Z6 M* e5 ^# c& B# c: ^5 m> '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
> 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!
>
" \$ _! y* L5 R1 k; I> 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
> 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.
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1 B' P! m* Y, e> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 Y  E9 S5 [' C9 |' M' i" c> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 M% o) w8 f) v8 J> '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
2 ^7 f/ o' [4 `. p  r) I: k> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
0 v  v" }: H2 ~> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
; Y+ u2 U3 f" h; ?/ a4 r) F2 z> 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:
6 t3 D& N* Z) `5 a) }" W, I% W> 1. Delete
5 Y% S4 g2 n& a& L3 h% `> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.