Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: v  s5 _' j, v  A> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. F% n( K' l/ j0 Z  ~/ Q6 I' T3 K> same choice?
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" C3 c6 t1 Z7 N& h> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# u1 D. V- Y. E# x: @6 |5 J0 ?> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- Y1 X+ b. {. p  \4 J> 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
4 r, V3 f; \  m> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
# Y$ r7 U: @! e0 M& ^" V> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
7 x7 W& b: T3 |( o" Y> 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
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
( e* o7 ~! h* ?. O2 w/ 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,
( K, z0 B0 R- u2 a1 o( x: i8 m$ u7 y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 t( `; `: F* u% T( S( V% [> 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
9 y) b. u- y" x4 m+ h> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! v, M1 O  G" q! |> inning.'
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+ b4 b: X. h6 }; q1 X> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) b* i. N! }' T& L6 Y2 x# x; u> 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
' A3 o- I# \) j> 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
, J, s) `6 O- R9 v> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. O- K5 X; D  v# k% d4 D% e> 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.
( u/ d  _6 a  f, Y, b; B> 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
7 O" B; G5 p5 t3 u. Y$ \$ U) \> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  S6 X! ^! T% S' e( ^5 R; V, X& l& [> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
/ Y# I% D7 \+ c; U2 h- M+ Q+ E> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 f; c4 k  `5 f: j9 o/ ?7 H4 R1 r> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
- N* v) g, a! y3 M3 v' U4 g0 J> 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
! L3 r& B; C8 s0 ^3 o> 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
8 {+ U8 y, t' P4 \> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 i5 S  V. \- }0 v+ K> 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,
' q2 k& ]' f( e> 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
% g# H) Y1 P1 F$ v; ^! t- P$ y> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
0 c! J! |. l/ i> 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
5 B" n/ d3 M7 X. v- y3 L$ \/ q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! {6 B" g9 c% }$ i( m5 w" O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
- K; b1 _4 o" m/ |> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, [) b' g$ `' V/ B> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
  m# M( s! P: {4 g2 p. L; q, W> Shay, run to third!'
>
  x/ G1 v' V; R9 ^4 F" [# T5 Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 m6 H# ^9 D) S8 Q* D> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' ?: ?* h! k  G* b! }> 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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8 W2 {* Q3 l7 x3 q2 p> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
9 v1 g! m2 ^# R2 ~. `> '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
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% ]6 Q( }! _" k* t! l; f6 Q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 t0 n* Z; a& w& u! a> 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
8 V9 g  u" {# k1 }# f> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 y* D" h1 k( v1 q1 n7 Z$ s( m> 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
! W- l: ]% s: R$ h8 B9 c> '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
* e/ K/ W) J6 v5 J: h> 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
$ o5 s. U& q( [+ r. L> bit colder in the process?
>
6 I3 ^6 b: x9 Y; p$ i> 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
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.