Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 R' z1 R  u6 h, o> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ i( q% ^& n- M> 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
3 b9 a, r( |5 ?$ \& {: [> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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?'
>
  \% N) H( [8 i& y' {0 R4 c> The audience was stilled by the query.
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6 Q$ U% \& t' e. _6 u; h5 W  P> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: f' E5 J5 ]3 g  o> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* q* S+ g; Z8 h. y8 H* k- y> treat that child.'
>
' C# R$ U7 I* U0 k+ W- a> 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
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
( m3 k& ?2 f+ k* X+ x" S5 f3 |& _> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
4 B2 \, T7 l* A% p6 f>
! U$ l; a) e# g8 F4 H1 L) |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  U3 B0 r" F% ~* V& N> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" H+ t+ T" w6 j5 i> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
9 U* O+ {$ a8 A* u. Z% d# {> 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
  T' m6 z7 {* l5 V$ R+ j> 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
, C+ _0 j" G& W; {> 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
8 H, k* s; i0 N- P2 k; ~> 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
+ G3 O- n: V/ S2 k- z5 x) d+ a( B6 [> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 z' L0 w8 c3 v1 s9 S- g> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
% @: E; r( \- |# H: X! v0 h2 V! p! C> 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.
. @, D: F- F6 ?& H  C> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* w7 W7 }* _) e4 D$ F> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
8 M7 l% |  v0 C, D; s+ S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ @' I7 n/ Z' S$ r  e- i, H0 A' N> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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6 Z, e! f& e0 M) j" {> 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
- `* A0 c  r8 k; L8 u> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: Y% C5 c. e' B- N* q; |0 H> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 V/ f# K7 |8 s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
7 ~; j' Z6 U* |2 }7 i> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. u! {% N2 K; U/ u9 m( H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
& v  X+ M0 [2 q9 H8 C/ ^> 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
* `) g) q9 m% C: e3 N> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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# P. L. i0 b+ G5 |* I( T+ F> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ y5 p; w6 v& }8 H$ m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" |" n. a  A/ d0 _3 K1 D> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 q- j6 I1 O! B> into this world'.
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0 C) ~; o0 o9 c) F7 j> 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
( c# E" m- Z- U) o7 M+ t> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
% u0 G/ `3 x" \, j) p+ q8 f> 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
: O) H5 W/ }7 C( t+ d, k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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' k$ Y; |: @( d( o5 p> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; }8 }; T2 m* g) a/ P: U> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
  k7 ]# O" `1 @! a' g* m> '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
8 Z1 j" F9 q" k8 |, P> 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?
" [+ y$ `$ K" }. m6 O>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- F6 S: W6 U6 O! ]8 }& B> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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* H/ g  W5 g4 q> May your day, be a Shay Day.