Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# X  t7 X; {9 M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 _* y4 }* b- f* e) i3 U> 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,
> 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
2 q( W2 {2 e! Z8 e5 o7 h> staff, he offered a question:
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" ~/ p; ^& Y( R( z( k! L> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
' n8 [* B; X3 ?1 `- g) J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
$ |8 _+ y$ J4 X& Y. t3 J1 D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> 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
  k( k8 \5 `; ^; Q4 E! P> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> 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
9 l$ t& z6 B6 f. K/ m2 }> 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
1 J9 i% G+ P% a0 I3 p' O> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 y7 R5 o( S* [. V0 \> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
+ D: y* o/ R7 W& g4 h> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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9 `  Q% p, _( v* V; r> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 D3 _( U0 S2 R# x# F> 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
' Z; N+ Q& D7 s: m) B> 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
9 n/ q5 t4 J) Q. K- U' c4 p; t- J> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
( U! a* U( X  V9 M9 v) ]1 e: _% Z> 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
3 W1 d  T; E# o$ z2 m0 q! U> 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
6 N5 p, L* x2 B% y' h> next at bat.
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) f/ Q, t2 X. D4 u: P1 r2 w8 A, A> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ T% y0 g1 q# T' Y; }+ ~  M! \$ g> 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,
1 V; \0 \% g4 U; J> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> 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
* M& E! i% H3 X> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: s9 ?% `& ^% g/ X# ?> 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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' r" s( G- f( H" V+ H8 I; @> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
; Z" a1 ~+ c6 g; s- p  w, K' `; O> 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
7 s1 V# A8 e: A7 W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 ?/ D6 S% k; r5 P6 _% I7 X, L> wide-eyed and startled.
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5 [# ~0 \4 @& f  a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 b5 x6 p  a8 d2 k3 w9 m0 f, F> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) w  i* ^3 }9 o9 d- h) ~" u> 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,
- D- C8 A5 t; a5 ~- L$ D' w9 W$ O> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
7 }+ t; d8 H" a! J> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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- {! V5 x' C' L7 B' o* M' _> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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" c; N2 N% j! d2 g' p7 x> 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!'
>
* Z0 w) N5 [# S5 R) `" H1 n" ]; }> 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
) H: n% S8 h" v) ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
' k% F6 f, |) ^: p# d> game for his team.
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. S6 s) Y/ a7 c5 D% ~/ T7 `> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
% n; x+ f6 J0 P0 x* M% V: I> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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) [% l5 ?1 W8 o" Z) f2 F> 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!
>
7 r; x/ `6 G0 k2 m$ w- _> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
5 g: ]) g) S: g9 N" I2 l, M> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
: x4 ?! r; p) P% h> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
2 p9 Y8 r4 E' H$ H0 y1 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) m. V3 ]7 z1 Z& T4 _> bit colder in the process?
>
+ h) n. G" f6 l) b% D+ X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, a) d4 e+ P" D+ a0 W> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 {# H4 ]' j5 D) f. s$ E> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.