Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& A0 H+ `. d" Q. z/ T> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 I) [- \- ?: \% j9 G+ k% |> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ u1 w/ H3 y& M* ]8 ~> same choice?
>
, j. o* x  w# X( E' L* x> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* K8 \4 Y+ a5 G> 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:
>
> '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
5 n- I+ G3 h* t5 u; l$ y> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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; B: d# W# y6 O9 C> 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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) s' B9 J1 r: g& a- k> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 s5 [( P' I# H* k7 ^/ Z, q) L( N> 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
! y: N* x# |3 I7 K> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
, Y* E. y$ U5 Q* z1 w> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, `; \% l4 i; n% d> 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
/ U: W! w! U1 ~) n> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
& }' f# C, q" E' i# `* z  f2 E> 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
# x3 t9 @+ w; v+ F( ^* I> 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
$ E; W, T2 D/ j. u- |> 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
/ F' @, M0 ]* |/ {! I4 {# |9 n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
6 |/ Q6 I2 w  a$ t5 o5 r> next at bat.
>
3 X+ V7 a9 q. p( Z/ e> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) U4 [# z1 A1 P5 _, H> 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,
7 @. q: e' f6 w7 D> much less connect with the ball.
3 Y/ f4 A3 [$ c: S> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: N5 x; S3 o5 G% u> 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
+ x) t5 _  M) ~) B5 R, Y: B2 C  ]& K) z> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
4 Z9 M5 f) m; {1 ?+ M2 \> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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
> 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
* f# R, H% h" n5 o/ f' e4 e> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
8 [0 A  ?# p% e% P> 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,
0 E; \. q3 u4 u( ^- E/ |( d> 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
: F. p9 }/ U! \6 O! N> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. G& t( `3 I1 x1 W& \0 l6 ?5 z! B# d> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ \. |: k! ~+ f! a> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 m6 }: M: B& E# n$ s> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 n; y+ w0 q& d  F- O% Y* {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
. Q6 @$ y& S3 @> game for his team.
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3 ^. I* U5 x. L> '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
4 Z7 {! D1 j6 ~7 o; X> 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
* t2 @5 f& ]0 t> 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
4 b$ ^! C, a3 P> 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
- Q4 Q' |7 ^# O4 Z0 k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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. u  }2 B0 {% w. T> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
) n, i/ o, k  A0 l8 c4 g4 l> 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
3 z; R3 U) W5 \  |/ J( g/ i* V> 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
1 ^, G% B7 r5 X$ G& |5 C+ i& M& Z> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
. |- D; i* r7 a# a" d> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& y! v6 W- [) W: n) H> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
3 N: U9 j9 A4 }4 p> 2. Forward
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6 {8 `/ ~) G3 r0 C3 M: H  ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.