Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
! ]0 a9 v4 S1 w( s1 f" @> 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
! A1 w1 |  E2 Z& R% U3 r> 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
4 ]1 E: u. y; M- Z> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
, _1 @7 u) v& N; T> staff, he offered a question:
>
3 c+ x- b! M& W> '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
' z- `4 V' }% x> natural order of things in my son?'
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/ O; J  [( |; x. _> 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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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ ~; |& H4 N4 i2 i, h7 z4 ]' B> 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,
! \& t+ L( z: p+ [: h> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" \$ l* O# e2 t, x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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+ A0 M- t' N3 v8 n: z> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! v6 @- y8 [3 ~- H> 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
/ F+ G0 e' _: W& [. P1 P! `0 [/ F$ p6 ?# c5 D> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
# u& E# O3 j" W1 _" z> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& }7 y3 l: m- z+ ?( z! p* V> 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
, I& O- B9 ?& w! e> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
0 W  Y; o: L( ?3 d> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
1 ~: H) y- P6 F" G> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
1 d9 O' n% z. p* o8 q5 b" g> 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
+ f& P) l, }- P1 O' h0 z> next at bat.
>
# i; ~+ f9 W' z2 O> 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,
# N6 `& a* b% Y8 W5 `7 _> much less connect with the ball.
> 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
3 G7 a, L3 p' C" c# |/ b> 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.
' o6 X5 P) S0 f6 h0 {+ X> 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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: _% }3 P$ }9 ~7 A3 ?> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 v. \4 ?( e: H' r9 X" }" O' T0 ]> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
9 \$ T( n/ ~* ^$ t> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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, F: Z0 ^$ u7 b/ t- S! B> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; X4 j. B5 t& 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
0 G' Y# g" Q- S0 A3 [% i' p> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- }. A4 q( c4 c. G> 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
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' n) o; h% O" |% I0 H) l, P> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
/ s: S$ |. {1 {: O: d> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 g: g. b$ S4 b> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% U+ w# P6 e; l+ I> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
0 b. [9 E0 z* D  R, G! L/ g% `> 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'
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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!
0 R% ^( X7 H; K& ^" Q% t> Shay, run to third!'
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) Z+ I: z9 d7 Y> 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
! v! F* j5 X7 P> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
" ?* U% V7 U2 p9 U  C> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
* \  q3 Q4 b: a* g> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
+ }! g, K: ]7 ]; D: d3 t/ n> into this world'.
>
* Y& Z* \# B5 z> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& K: l) z& t3 H# k% 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!
>
) b* H5 u7 Z' O# K5 i  n> 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
# N1 `; G6 l8 ~1 U0 o) F+ v> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
! X& N1 `. D, G> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 Q/ U$ r. I3 c% G& A0 ~) }  `5 g! C> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- f0 c; I  T, r+ z* }> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
" y9 _+ z4 X9 u, j  p0 v. x- J> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 j1 q9 I% t0 y+ l4 }> 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
* ^; v, m2 ?: V8 G" X) x& x> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ R. Y7 Z0 f9 O- |> bit colder in the process?
>
4 S- H0 T; F) d5 `0 A0 E6 h) d1 G, s> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ Q9 @7 F5 l! w5 a3 n>
> You now have two choices:
- j  j. e2 J( s4 N4 ?) ]* P> 1. Delete
' {7 h3 ]: W( _! A> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.