Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. l- y: }$ G9 p4 i$ D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ U8 P- ^' E( l> same choice?
>
, D% e! p* n- r, `) p> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 C" Q4 k4 R) Z; m9 ~  A7 S6 o5 s. U> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
' u4 I, ~& A1 X. L/ L1 u6 F3 L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
- E, E' n' z. p2 A6 s" X/ ^7 C> '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 `1 r$ O. ~5 O; y6 n) K> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 O9 a+ O% g6 g1 w8 X$ @( v, l> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 |0 P& j' c5 U> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
" l9 V3 I  X5 R  `& `> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
. ]% d6 e6 z& w8 s. ]> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
: D, Y8 k% z! Y2 A; Q3 o> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
$ k: I' P/ n( I0 T# l2 A, Q> 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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; A9 Y9 z! @" L/ ], w; O> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 A8 m/ b0 i7 r/ Z! 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
3 v5 H/ [& B; ?; v" e" X1 H> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
> 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
: w& p( _% f" V> 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
> 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
7 m$ n! w' X9 K- z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
" D5 w# P! o0 e' [) q9 k5 d> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
7 x$ ?; P+ C& v4 U; Z: k/ ]0 M> 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.
- V  T$ J4 |/ t, B& H: N  y> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 l) J, u# H' _4 T1 I> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
7 Y! |, c  Y% K; d8 x9 w1 d1 i> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 I0 u1 Q' f* I  E> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! R3 x" z2 e" O$ Q: d> 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
7 d5 y9 w7 `/ f: g> right back to the pitcher.
>
! ]+ ~3 ?; b6 }8 E> 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
9 H- `! R' T4 c' m9 @* Q> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
- |' |5 t; R. R" T6 {> 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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2 N' T7 q8 S2 v/ f> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 I* U% d, R" y> 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
: g* b$ x0 |6 E& f; }1 @( C. z> 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
) l( G1 I4 q/ [* D: g8 L$ y7 c> 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
% t6 w* Z$ c) E8 [( V> 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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; t; O( T  u- f$ d( T, d8 r5 C- d" t> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
: P" ~7 ?( g" h' @! Z/ C> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 p; m) u  `, m5 r7 b9 S6 D> 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
1 E* c  S8 H) Z* Z( C9 D> 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,
: j+ @, Z& v3 j' w& _3 d! [) ]7 |1 z8 Q> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
5 U6 a4 S8 B4 b7 A> 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
) a$ X! E4 @5 E$ ?> 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
7 W  E0 ?' D* K! T+ W> 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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> 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
" c& a5 I- E4 ?) f8 C> 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
" C% V/ r* F. t  s& Y3 d: X8 M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
+ t3 O9 V/ U; y> bit colder in the process?
>
  m! H" H) k# o> 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
& X) j( q+ C9 c> 2. Forward
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# l/ t- R; n8 ~# S) z> May your day, be a Shay Day.