Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' N6 l. r7 k' `% Z) w) A6 M> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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3 `6 U) I! r) v( z2 N9 K/ `> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 H  y. T& Q9 y9 u# r> 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?'
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> 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.'
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" L7 P* J4 q' U% o5 {> Then he told the following story:
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$ z' e5 X1 O0 h: t7 |" c> 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
0 Q- r5 ~! p8 `4 `  x8 I& i: Y> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! d5 L5 B, T6 q8 i/ j' t  x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
& r6 u1 M) [; A3 g> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 l& |. O. Z; b1 ?# ~( l; i> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
# W9 B6 Z% t4 s6 b2 w) w8 H> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
5 |2 u# e' d& R7 g> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 t' N$ j% B! M! r- m> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
( l; M. X6 x' J5 |% u, O7 g. Z/ U> 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
9 M0 i- c- a% D! d/ b> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 l2 K! D3 p( N" F> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% r: I  n. z4 P9 {# N7 t7 U. p> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) O( M* G* A& M> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 u# {6 @# K- F  [/ g6 V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
% e/ a1 k5 M+ l' J: y& V. J2 _> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 W6 Z! e8 Y# \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
' d% G/ ^3 E& ~8 D3 j. s0 i> 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
/ h2 C7 m5 _) n; n0 g+ z% _& g; A> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
  ?. \% R; S2 L8 z% O> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
& T- e9 m1 S7 i6 V! `5 s5 D> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
! H" b' K) Q: ?# w6 L5 ]' [> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
9 x8 B$ z3 {3 B  L6 z% X, i" V> 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
+ y& L8 l. Q! P! C2 ], f/ m# i> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
7 e" J3 N* ]$ v; C, b> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# R# P; o' m! O> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ [' l! g$ I( x> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 K6 e% N+ j2 c" j$ W4 [> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> 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
> 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.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
- s6 i, ^3 p. D1 N4 o* A> Shay, run to third!'
>
$ S- \2 |9 F% b8 O5 P> 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
7 `/ z+ r' I0 x, t> 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,
> '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
" s; `$ Y* L8 E1 ^6 t* m8 A3 d> 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
% F: u# D! w$ U* |- P( d> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- h4 \& l3 q# }> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 K) J8 m  B0 m> 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 r  y& P! u0 x  B( V2 n; k/ O> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
: T! d3 s  ~8 q8 }> 2. Forward
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$ S) k( u9 ?% v* ^7 y9 E> May your day, be a Shay Day.