Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
> same choice?
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% j8 }* G! {( Z: {> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 Q# `: W/ G/ K8 b* {% M> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
- F7 x6 Y/ q$ J( T: |: L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. {8 {& i  A6 s  r  F> staff, he offered a question:
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# O' @& X5 e. s: R, a8 }> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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5 V# ^6 L; ^& t' ?  w> 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
9 N" C- t0 K! _  p, w2 Y4 D  ]> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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% R/ [- e7 Y, W0 s" S7 z  U, j> 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
; {* c$ }7 k  A1 g, ?> 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
- p& M9 R; v; a! E3 h: f) ]: y) m> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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# x; r9 c: d0 p> 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
7 G% R4 B$ N6 a5 |0 {! V> 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
> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
( a) D$ R: V+ k" v> 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
> 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
; v! r: ~* {! p: t1 Y> 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
" x& u* ?5 k% S7 T4 h3 i> 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
+ ^  r$ P5 O. @, [  Y/ M> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
& s0 v4 Y( ]+ r9 E6 I> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  B$ _/ P8 e! W5 a> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- F& e7 o- Z8 ^> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 ?4 T- X7 ]: N; Z2 O# J: g> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) U5 N: I* N: P  S- T- T> 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.
>
> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
# o& E% f( d. T# {$ A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 p/ U  g5 v' x  x' ]: E. J! W> wide-eyed and startled.
>
) {0 u; [$ L5 u> 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
1 w5 d" L6 }; f4 o+ m5 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
+ b1 e, A- ?5 B  {> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 C( H( N  {" d* M; o6 |& P, k6 j! K> circled the bases toward home.
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. Z' T$ s; }! A" I5 _4 {> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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' m0 j  O, V2 r/ f> 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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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
% t8 Q; Q+ T. M% G7 Y5 @> 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.
>
) N% `" h& F  k* P; `  N> '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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4 T3 @; L6 v. o- ?> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
# u! _) J( w' o& h3 F2 y& C> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ `2 a4 d# v5 X/ b/ j( x> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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% z9 G$ U# z+ R2 s- Z2 H, i> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ x3 u$ W! b  m! x& x8 h> 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
# U! ]7 r) y) c8 s4 s- H- E> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. {9 d& b9 i3 f1 {- A4 C> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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" L2 \) s* ?0 t  m$ J2 Y- ~- T" Z> 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
% f3 i1 ~3 [+ \3 @' |3 ?5 I6 W8 K> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
. h, e; {" ~/ ^; G6 N> 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
( l* t9 H( B+ T> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 ]( X& l& S/ F* `. @> bit colder in the process?
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9 Z0 k- C# G0 H& d> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 j& {* ?- H/ l1 n> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.