Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 |& z" _& y5 M5 o> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 i* [! R) K8 Z, m+ o> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
$ F. p! W$ d2 K/ |& R. F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
" o* {1 ]. \6 O- Y1 V3 j> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* e5 b* f4 d3 u> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ i4 |+ O& z9 W0 S- Z' M, x" k4 ?> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
8 [4 O  \- A7 r) b* t6 P: z& K>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 l" a) j* e3 S# N> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  S$ `, w) o- L9 ^' @: N& U> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
7 t' T1 R) A: T* v1 B- G3 J0 Z9 I: z> 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
3 M$ \4 |1 z" b  R( D> 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,
4 t5 n' M) q/ X- z( u, O$ Z> 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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% m* |: N6 C: _4 ~8 G! S# v> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# U. W! i4 e3 R3 Z- W> 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
1 v( E+ Q  |/ ~/ s. y> 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
+ r# }& y2 c* k3 M2 w> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
' H# }8 [4 w4 D3 Z8 Q( A> 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
6 i" O% r  g" ^, [8 Y, O$ w4 R& K> 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
, L6 Z; \* |* ^8 i$ Y: B8 H/ _0 }> 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.
>
> 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.
" w( o* B6 c0 V+ f> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 X: ]: z& j$ L; D6 ?3 `2 ^0 T> 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
2 x% j+ x3 k- g: y. j) y  m( H> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 q% m* B- R; i; a> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
6 h3 ~3 q- Z6 W3 t7 [> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 U6 X/ p$ _& J, i5 c4 V8 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
  ~6 b8 Z8 p$ a6 K% ~4 m- d> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( r, @& h; b8 F8 t> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 ~. R7 D5 ]" A; j- O> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' S7 L+ r% r2 _> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: y! o6 W8 C3 G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
3 c$ B/ L; n2 S; h> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 Y8 y, o, u! U$ @5 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
8 a* g# \/ ^* q( u% }> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
! N& ]- v' R9 |4 G: [> 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
' c8 T# g+ q8 B* E- W1 O$ Q! _> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 K7 V' [6 `- t4 Q( y. S. D> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% Z  k1 k% }6 c, ]# i8 `0 \7 N> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
! \# C8 V, G: N4 a- r& c  R) K+ a> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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. G4 Z- Z( T% K9 f" a> 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.
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> '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'.
>
> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
/ [/ f( k6 z! s0 Y7 c3 c  _' O8 L3 V> 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
& o6 s* \% R3 M3 l9 k, ^) Y# a> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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: Y, ~# y, {7 o> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ Q  }, S, x* s2 H4 V: Q. j) E> 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
8 Z' C3 }5 v; X! U7 q2 N> 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
7 q& m! S  h) [6 Z* o* A, o( S9 n  f> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ K' @" V0 d& o4 K+ N  U* v> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 P4 X; Z" W. l# ?  ]. R/ u  C> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
8 n" o' N' W# f1 e* y> 2. Forward
>
, W5 \1 z8 l: g6 |; `> May your day, be a Shay Day.