Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 j- e8 v& ~! r" z9 ?- m0 `8 h6 Q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
9 _- V+ S/ d# E2 d$ S2 P> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 i, k# B- e+ b* q2 b> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
- q3 T2 I/ U5 h7 H" H, V> 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?'
>
! s$ @9 o7 a+ b, ]- K2 f0 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
3 w! H+ F1 l- M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
0 P0 c$ }4 `. _' }> 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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3 {7 T" Z1 t1 M+ Q8 D> Then he told the following story:
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4 E: P/ P4 l3 F1 N> 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
9 Z, J# {+ w( Y; Z> 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,
  J/ B( |: J+ @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
' V* t- m7 U1 O  I0 t; I  o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 C. n% P# z! _' y> 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
) W5 ^% e; _  I, w& ~> 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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% E: L; r5 F0 N; p4 M" I> 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
> 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
+ u; l) {" R% ?- l( X$ H> 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
) u9 L) h+ G) }; k> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" K- N, h2 b( G' Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
, p2 V0 _  K1 C# k0 \> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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. a5 m8 C0 U$ E1 h( M" [7 `$ @> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
3 A! t5 t; V! u) S- ]# [$ j7 P> 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.
. c4 N7 N: G5 r4 i' y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
: D  L1 R5 K. ^3 C> 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
8 E/ r, v2 f( k" o$ e* V> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* o! O% m) A7 X2 \9 ^& U- C> 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.
>
. k3 Y( _. c; j; F$ q7 @> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 v( b! h& M# A7 G- \5 K> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
) C& j$ N6 V( {/ [  M5 J4 e) R> 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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% ]) E3 w  ~1 e' K/ J/ j> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, ]+ R: C9 Y7 n3 L> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; ]2 ^7 G) x! G5 t> 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,
: }, K7 Q; z3 ?8 P* d! k7 Z1 L> 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.
>
" t- z5 c( S# z/ z9 A> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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4 ]( K$ U7 m, a( }$ F> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" |/ \5 W6 q6 `+ a$ s> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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 ^2 W% E8 J" ]- x2 L* G! Y- I> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 k$ g1 e& ^. [> game for his team.
>
2 ]) H+ A$ t  P2 A> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. G8 c  S3 E: Q( f% b% r> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
+ D# z( O' [1 r; O2 H> into this world'.
>
& W6 k( b. M8 V% V2 C- G> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 @% A( l  K+ P. s% i" n+ h> 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
! B% o5 ~0 g$ i( S0 k; x& v' s> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* t+ @8 t+ R: c! I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> 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
3 R- h7 d* y& c! f> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
; x* G, z( k+ ~: `> '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 n+ d6 o% r# R> 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
" N2 \( r5 L5 I/ Q> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 x& I0 @- P% k' j) y2 f# [1 P2 u> bit colder in the process?
>
" B, V( K/ C( C  L7 o> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
/ t( g; X; d! X> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
0 k" g* L/ X! k> May your day, be a Shay Day.