Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' `9 k) X; d) P' h( S> 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,
. e8 s, r) a3 E" k% m> 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
3 P2 q; L" D4 e9 H- D0 M' ~> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) c% z5 }3 V, M: w$ D* \# A" e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ f0 f. x+ U* W* Y7 E- J> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 V5 w$ E/ n3 k) t, W6 s> natural order of things in my son?'
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4 m- j3 X% v* M; A" p> The audience was stilled by the query.
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) Y4 w+ R3 a3 S' s* m) a> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 F) E8 C( p' L1 p, N. L: h> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( j3 R* U( H" k5 E> treat that child.'
>
> 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
1 u7 I# p7 C# A' Y2 Z  a1 b4 Q% q> 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
( a- H" i& Q7 v: ]. w; z+ |  `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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0 O( B- c8 P; }6 [& V  y. Z> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; L; l7 h+ Q: M: r( S> 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
5 j" i3 M' e# k: A( j0 e> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; G& e7 m4 C; j, n6 S, k> inning.'
>
9 Y% s/ U) r0 i& T1 p# g3 H> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. {8 G1 ~. G' G' O1 v6 y> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. i7 k% @; u2 H( B, J! A9 d> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
6 y# Q% }2 i% I  b> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* p# W3 b" n, ?> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
" e5 i& c5 a% Q' Y( q> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
( j- G1 g' B& d7 q; }> 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
5 A4 f% I; I" k3 P9 h4 a> 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
" f5 t# w) j' u9 l> next at bat.
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3 t0 A' r8 Y) N% j) c8 Q) {  g1 e> 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,
0 ^, `2 T7 @0 K  ^$ n# J( Q$ c> 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
> 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.
( `# v; e. K; @) c" F" D' f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' T2 v  q4 _6 e# T7 @! x9 K- L> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' l9 N4 `8 L/ B> 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.
>
) F3 Z4 A: d9 C" T6 u8 n" T> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 w+ Z8 K9 j- B9 i4 J% X2 R> 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
* |9 |* k; P9 h9 A3 O4 P> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
, P/ C- R) H. V! C" v> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
! q! `1 ~5 y: p' U9 P; x8 }5 M& M# H9 P' `> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
* b2 N, z4 H. Z! u, m4 l% A: h: i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
+ P5 d9 k* b, m/ r, W; ~+ e- S) f> circled the bases toward home.
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- t0 ?/ ?# g! o0 u' }> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 h. k0 V. c1 `% E- n! q( k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
  b" G7 _5 Q. m6 i> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
* \5 d1 F+ Y, Z$ u% ]> 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.
>
> '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
" ]& b' u0 W# x$ c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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# k  ]" j, Q# O" W% Q3 Q& ^& e' P> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 M4 P6 _5 f* ]> 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
! J* f9 k, G9 o> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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) @. J+ b+ j( |3 c* `# H> 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
0 W) g, `$ M. K% r! v) U  V/ c) y% U> '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
7 S% q* V* Y6 x* E* \> 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
4 t  T. w6 o/ R> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
) _+ A$ e5 }9 n% ^- c& U1 i& o2 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 V: B8 ^' K2 }( A( ~: o6 m> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
- b* c9 l5 n  ^> 1. Delete
0 v* n' H* C7 `1 O; C  _( _> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.