Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* {* ^2 t) t4 n& {3 @> 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
  h5 W' i; t4 i> 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
. J8 |& o) k( z& f- P+ l) I> 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
* H6 T& c# p8 e9 l2 \8 a8 C/ o> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 _7 {+ h% w& R+ a! c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
! M- C7 ^# |2 R' Q  X  }2 ~! L2 G> The audience was stilled by the query.
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! ]( f" W0 J6 y> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 s! Z: o, m4 _' o$ X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! F! I+ _( b- N! r  x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
4 w# s# Z! A) u4 ?. M  b> Then he told the following story:
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6 p, }' \$ z4 F+ ^+ N$ P) ~/ {> 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
; P7 t  A! p( W/ q4 g6 k1 u> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 }- {) F; `# K8 ?# g/ D/ G> 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
9 e6 r' d+ Q& ~, P! s. i> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 j' F) Q9 K4 d# c5 C7 e$ k, a- _> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
. M: \6 b, R3 t> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 {7 U/ @, {: N) ^2 |* B# B+ ]1 l$ v> inning.'
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6 \  I6 d- j: M> 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
4 B/ |, z" e% X# H, n> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 s. N+ W* q) C# }5 d% ^> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
/ F, |. B% E, [5 `2 O* ^* x> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 h4 g$ k9 W* y9 y( y$ Z/ d" n: L9 k> 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
> 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
1 U( T! |4 i7 k$ D& U: u> next at bat.
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> 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,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 @, q7 g/ T0 D2 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
/ W" d! m: h) {, k& x" ~2 Q> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% b- H+ a  y& I2 J: E> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  f( V5 j+ g5 X2 R& G0 l> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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
- e  v# ?) E( c) q6 G3 s3 Q# A> 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
* T6 a% y& D# d0 q2 W3 B! v> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ J* G% K' H+ b. p/ ^7 ^> 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
6 B& N' d0 {- q7 d% s> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. i  p' ]* S: Z$ `> 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
5 O  u+ T0 s0 l9 ~! R. l: \> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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0 t+ b/ w! r8 u1 f/ Q> 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
& h; O/ ~7 ]1 e+ x> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
# ?6 ~3 y% x  Z; x6 X- M> into this world'.
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> 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
" ]6 B+ @+ L( K& U> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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  l: K6 }9 n3 S9 x) A/ u, s> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 E3 f) K. A, N- N9 G8 ?& s> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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( S; `+ P: E# V> 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
> 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
) d8 I% Y. L# I) m% D> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
5 Z  T; A+ M  j3 A> bit colder in the process?
>
# Q4 t$ d' r% j$ W$ k& t2 X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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- H) h. h- Q& u0 H/ s4 D> May your day, be a Shay Day.