Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
> same choice?
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0 Y% ^# g: \; W> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. {$ G" F5 v- \+ N> 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
: j8 R, q" \* N3 q; `! C> staff, he offered a question:
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2 b3 r' C5 ^% M0 k* I4 |> '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
" \2 }/ n  S1 W/ x8 H; c; M" \> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. u% J' J# c. X> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
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>
> Then he told the following story:
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" F# x4 ~8 p6 k/ ^4 K> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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) x5 J: ~6 |* `( X. d4 x> 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
5 r* P2 }! P# S) l% r2 K3 e: M1 J2 B> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& F; s4 P0 J* J, E# a8 j5 B> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
; T% g8 G2 G; y6 w' h> 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
- f+ T4 |3 k2 s3 x: A& W& d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
* }6 g+ }6 N3 R* Z$ M# ~! f> 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
" S2 Y' o& e* a: L% [> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* X5 T% x, W3 ~& t: X> next at bat.
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2 ~# v; S. E' W1 h* p8 f% V! c> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 \8 W% T: |0 u( a3 H> much less connect with the ball.
: R1 l  R3 o$ L( K# K: q: Y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 F4 b8 A& U1 B3 |> 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.
+ k" {2 h+ b4 A0 N" S> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 Y% t; Q$ Y- M, T; c" q0 _5 K> right back to the pitcher.
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% j6 j, |0 ~; j+ [4 c> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 x8 {- m& h0 Z* v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
2 G, F, w) ^; q3 G, @$ l, Q# h> 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
; W; K0 ]* I; u. ~! i5 ]8 m" i> 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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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
# N, @& L, L) e> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* X9 i+ I( |! [! k4 d' Z, J) `+ r( k' m> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
1 V( h) k- v. j' \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
) o$ A5 M8 B& f- A  T; |> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
7 e( k+ A( O3 E> 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
3 S7 N7 W' x6 v) ^3 Q6 |# d4 I> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
- y- B1 ]/ S8 K2 a% {0 K> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 G# i: }( X  R/ W# ?> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
5 k# [5 y& R3 l2 h+ P: B> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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0 g1 i$ S1 K# F$ l2 z/ g: Z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ O! o& Z: Y6 A. p) N" d# Z* Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
2 I2 o3 _0 Z' X& T# g  L5 _1 `> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
3 k) R$ Q/ \- D# @. }> game for his team.
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5 U; _* s- r: \5 R> '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'.
>
> 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
  \4 A, ?8 V8 P  m> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
1 y$ l7 @' k0 W/ d> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 ?5 Z( e, e2 f6 O+ `. d) _> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
3 A4 S1 ~. s8 n5 ?. a( T% d0 Y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
( `# U' L! ~! H" h) u: n$ A> 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
1 u4 f( i  Z5 v> 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
+ `$ z/ X& S3 O3 u8 F> 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
$ a* q( d) E; I  h$ w- B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
1 s' q$ H+ [/ o9 ?$ d4 l> 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
. b; [1 c: D: m, R- q6 I> bit colder in the process?
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' H" f" ^' _. }: q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ j5 u: J& E$ f> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 n, n# J+ [1 z, |6 r  y4 i> 2. Forward
>
1 e% ~* ]7 M. q( v7 U! r> May your day, be a Shay Day.