Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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  j0 e) i7 t' ^> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
  L: n$ k# B; S" l' D  T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ C0 q8 I) o) i* F+ O: i> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 N; G8 m+ E4 j& n: I$ _3 z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
8 C% A' B) t3 e; e> 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?'
>
* \( w. g' ]& r1 R> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
3 R* q8 c" D1 E> 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.'
>
2 c# T$ Z# P/ N, f> Then he told the following story:
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6 b; U, }" {* Y8 U4 H3 s; t> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) p0 u( X5 Q# v! n> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
- o1 Q1 Z: L" N. s& p. n8 O> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
> 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
/ [- ~' u# [& N4 N4 H> 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
; V/ q- F* b) W0 K; s6 ?' p> 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
> 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
" e' [- T9 V' W; ]> 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
+ C" b7 D/ o4 w5 E( ?. V5 E> 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 h3 K& R1 u& c8 k7 M" w% K" G> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
. R8 V9 n5 R1 {> 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
- n$ d5 z$ k2 A: Z> right back to the pitcher.
>
' h6 o# u- J0 Q' R! ?> 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
! `. I/ P2 @: e5 B. F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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6 W# q" H8 ^0 v3 E* G> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ U5 D0 x4 l" v% c( d+ S1 r. _% b1 s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* q5 |5 b$ w" l> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ ]# j9 C3 [' X& k  a  |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& n" s; \. B; W8 c6 i> wide-eyed and startled.
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4 ^4 @6 p7 O, m> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. b8 q' c) o( z) @2 |, L> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
0 ?; U; x7 N) ^2 v" ~$ A> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' @1 K; A6 J0 G8 ]" [! T> 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
; \2 D  ?, g8 C9 Q> 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'
>
& z1 g. l* _9 j3 i4 O5 L( f6 ^- J> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  z, g9 T9 Z$ t6 H( Z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
/ c4 S2 T6 l: M; Z4 D% W> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; X" f/ ~- B$ {$ f) i, D  C> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
  T* Q; T( {* I- G1 P  F, _> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
3 }9 a6 f& }1 I# e5 w) }> '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
> 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
3 g" Q4 Q; X, Y( R> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
+ x. K' C3 r7 F/ J6 {' }/ x> 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
5 B3 q6 X8 [. B- e8 D> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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, j! ^2 ?- a. ^3 Z# U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) T. J5 u; M2 G  a/ _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
: k! p2 }0 @2 ^9 p" q4 u> May your day, be a Shay Day.