Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
4 t# }! F3 ]8 F5 m/ A4 Q9 Q> 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
% l* u7 l3 ~( A$ n6 E5 r+ v" {> 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
: M2 N4 W% L, q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 R+ P) F6 e/ m> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ F( L& k7 Q4 _9 \# Z( f- }& s- ^> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ {! [9 r- x* a$ ~& P> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 c) K8 J8 q% O8 T$ |# |4 g6 _. |  y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 c6 ~! [1 x3 O. l: C> 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
0 K, l% a, N$ ?0 Q) v! f> 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:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, u6 G  f& i$ i! [- t: |> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> 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,
* V+ w$ w: X) S> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. W. C( Y. ~1 Y0 D> 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
' S' {" L" j9 M8 ~# J> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) l" x3 y1 x: N) D. z/ y5 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
# i) Y0 G! F. J% X5 l9 }> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 |: H4 j1 i7 h; m* b, Y> 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
> next at bat.
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9 K" r* e  n" E+ J+ |> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ y& d# K, ^" H, b> 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,
0 E8 R' j* P: c& N% e7 D7 |1 ^> much less connect with the ball.
  A' o7 W* |9 _$ n2 P+ ~! X7 B> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! I( F7 x  G* m: D2 N3 ^! n8 s& W> 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
; H7 t3 d  _+ F2 `7 C, L) |> 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
# c* L7 S  F0 w2 u2 m  T8 N> right back to the pitcher.
>
1 I9 h1 A' _* j& |> 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.
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8 J8 w5 z* M% d+ K> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 H. ?9 g, Q/ j+ u6 `' |6 E  z6 X4 n5 p> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 f+ o6 M4 _4 s> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
' O/ m" L! i5 _2 ?- ]> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
9 V3 [, A/ I$ y! `* T. V> 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
) O% h* V5 M7 Z+ ~4 U> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
: [9 T; D. I/ N/ x) D> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  Q" w- o: G6 ]3 f, ~) h+ P% S> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- Q$ M- s0 Y- Q! V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
3 p" O8 a# j% W' I( O/ Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
$ r* b3 c) P2 P( c> Shay, run to third!'
9 I5 C5 Y3 G& j9 E- ~>
0 v' M4 x4 `. }, n6 ~> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- X3 [$ j6 {7 O> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ h/ X* D3 |8 P/ u# ^' A7 z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 v" ^" \! Q/ N* q' g0 O> 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
+ n' K/ |+ _8 u9 N$ c> 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!
>
+ v/ v3 W1 n3 V9 C> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: p: b+ G7 t& D; M8 E& K- {$ e> 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.
& O2 X  ]' U8 X3 m7 d. z>
> 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
> 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
3 ^: Z# D1 c2 _> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
9 |4 I* _5 b. a5 |1 u4 F>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% U; [/ t- ?+ W  S) u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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4 M4 \5 n3 h  }4 M* D> You now have two choices:
2 u% \7 V1 n. i% A- v8 b% N/ L# y( z> 1. Delete
! l7 @$ J8 Y" H+ N' K> 2. Forward
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5 f  g$ r2 ?1 W0 l. B8 F> May your day, be a Shay Day.