Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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& ]! S& c' r% w8 E' N> 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
* G) J" i% _  C1 p" y6 R" B0 Y. P> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' J: t7 d0 ]! J* u) z; }> 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
  [- i. k8 Q, c) C5 E> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 K! M/ j# r/ H1 E& B8 u" I7 ]> 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
# C' R  ~  J6 m5 D4 f- h> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# S" N6 E$ q, N" g& j' T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: p/ r3 p3 U* x* D' _> treat that child.'
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. ], w+ j+ \) u6 N: x' S, x7 m> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
) @" R7 q( W- T. x7 o> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 q' k& [$ Y) c: i( K> 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
! @4 B: ^" Y! Y1 r, |4 F9 w> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
4 n% u" l: B9 f  f2 D> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" K. N, P6 e6 R2 b9 }5 A, z! r> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 Y, S0 F$ y- ^4 g' z, i) ]> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
4 p1 E8 h; }( O> 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
  c; [2 X0 x$ M+ F> 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
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 o. A/ M) {7 e0 X4 R> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 y3 x' v. j( E( I0 D2 b5 i$ O> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# D% c* |5 o9 M, c$ ?: W# A4 E; C0 j. }+ z> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( Q2 N( ~/ g- o2 f/ R! ~1 X8 I; d> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 Y2 u1 w1 ^! W! F+ j> 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.
>
* T9 k# I& L7 ~% k: ]2 g> 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
" K, J7 e! ^$ ~  x' h> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 k; j1 _6 ]4 X' F> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
+ ?) |6 X: @+ m" ~> 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
: G3 s% N: m+ U' c/ ?4 m> circled the bases toward home.
>
- \( B. d$ [1 D( \> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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' v& P3 @5 l1 ~7 w9 P, D! w> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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0 u) q- i0 H: r3 z> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% ^* w1 i" }( [" a0 E% N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
# |* ^2 U8 ^' L, k# J6 U# M> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, t' V, f+ e4 ^1 A* }( [: |> game for his team.
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: P- I* c% H- u  h, G3 F> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
0 E" P; X+ B( `9 z4 f& i> '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
1 R( }2 D5 g; l8 U8 y4 Q> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
0 A2 t3 t! D' [( n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
: b. h/ a, c; H! l* X( b> 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
, T; R* M* f3 N! b/ R1 @. k: n> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
$ O% C" d  R2 D> 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
+ Y( Q( Z0 O+ i0 {> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 K! q6 `7 \( k8 o> bit colder in the process?
>
) |1 r8 V5 J& @% }. N+ Y( 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:
> 1. Delete
0 j# j; u- b; U  _3 G3 S> 2. Forward
>
. J" \/ l4 t. L/ t# R> May your day, be a Shay Day.