Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
; y5 z9 X8 ~  k# x, M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
3 ]$ v8 p6 k) W# L% p> same choice?
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( X# z( N7 y$ O. Y> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* \+ {! x2 Q3 ^6 K" }% `5 o! f> 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
> 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.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' a0 X0 [0 T) [* S. B  q0 P6 n> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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2 F2 O: z7 G+ [> Then he told the following story:
>
% ?" X* x% y; u+ B0 }) i# g> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 f- k$ T/ Q9 u1 O$ g) e( \/ j! [4 @> 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
# d) n; P+ U! Y" P' J- a0 x> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 h5 p+ t1 [+ I& v7 A: L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
. o! F7 M+ T! W: a. W+ ]# ^" E> 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
/ ~! \/ A/ T& ]9 B! |> 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
> 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
  B9 o: ^' T1 l> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
& X  D- H/ w4 \. ]$ a" {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
# H, o2 G( G  }/ `> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' W4 F/ K( n+ E& C, [$ \> 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
, O5 I8 S' [- n1 z7 Y' h/ B> 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
! o- s4 c: m$ R: v5 N: {6 Z> 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,
% \4 N7 E; T) L6 A/ l$ u> much less connect with the ball.
% l# i( g# o1 A. a> 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
. I9 `3 Z6 X. `$ B% V$ p> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 g: }* r- \! G1 A2 E/ p> 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.
* `- G3 F& a# e+ `1 v0 V6 I0 L> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
! r: N6 H7 T' ]7 i( N) L; i% _0 Z> right back to the pitcher.
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, e& O( M/ H% V0 p> 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
6 \7 J, G: J" I0 n2 s& w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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7 o+ `9 n* W# ]' Y6 g% L, r, [$ u+ g> 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
4 k2 m5 b; [; }/ [1 ?' L> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ j7 U3 H. v" T3 C, o* w0 e> wide-eyed and startled.
>
% `( ~2 v# \$ `# y; J4 y> 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
7 A" E8 X: ]$ w# b* H> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
+ @; g5 ^' H2 }4 U2 f> 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
7 p& p: o' n+ H- q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
" C% r' h0 V* Z8 ~> circled the bases toward home.
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1 s3 Q& |& c3 v- D3 x6 }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
, b; H2 Z6 `5 p8 W/ Z9 ^> 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!
3 g- ]! |4 U: F3 k> Shay, run to third!'
>
0 Y! W' w7 ]. e> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: x. B1 O/ Y6 P0 E* i> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& E7 S; j5 U* r" Y( e> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
& E3 v8 v! I( c% l4 e> game for his team.
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4 o2 T: p. G& C$ b: s% D> '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
$ r/ s/ l  g/ z6 s( D" B4 R> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 x6 y! ?4 Q0 [6 J2 }; b2 _> 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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" }- h7 H% d6 `( a* G> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
# N* U- U5 c2 g* i' I7 E- ~) k> 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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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# _/ {7 b4 P* F" B' [8 U  G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
& C- ~; D! M' v1 U2 g- \$ _> '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
> 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
& S4 v7 f  x* v6 L9 E; F6 c> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
  [. ^* c) @' z# m0 l0 z2 Z& |9 E> May your day, be a Shay Day.