Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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) Q& n# _% }* s9 q: }5 Q> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 {/ y' U1 q  m, _% s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, p* E* F3 t1 C- x> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
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- p) k% D  v2 v8 G) I& `> '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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; h* x' B& U( @> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
5 @/ {! z- t; {3 p6 M> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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# E& Z& J2 q% t" Y7 ~( D( y> 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
+ O. _) l* V1 Q. E; ?- n4 V; _> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
: U& _: U% |2 m6 ?> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
" V8 g( {2 c$ z' f> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 M, S% E$ E  E# [* 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
" n! X/ ^- T7 L9 f1 o> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: p5 e) u/ @1 T; {6 f> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ p8 m1 R# P0 @' j> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  e4 n  _: `5 n( l6 [> 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
9 X, Z  Q1 e+ V* Z7 O5 i( n> 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
8 M, F8 F2 j7 J6 W- [) g; B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
! ~7 h+ l3 \" D8 o+ s* ^* Q$ _" N> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! w& ^$ o* B, Y) [> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
  X- q: L8 L, L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% M, u8 P/ ~: L* J> much less connect with the ball.
6 v9 x% ]3 L6 D* S9 Y2 B" ]1 x/ O> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& |" Q7 ^6 d8 I. D$ o4 \% h# N> 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
9 s( H# k0 d8 n" Q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
; S0 E/ r% Q$ l% h5 x, F> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
' N$ A6 @6 t( d+ k6 x/ v7 O2 V> 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
3 Y& j  i/ o( e% d( s& q> 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.
>
0 m0 ]1 s+ w* h- f7 L> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
6 h: N4 E# E& B1 Z> 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
  L* V, i: V" r> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ r5 o4 E1 [- A0 n% J) K> wide-eyed and startled.
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) q# t. p8 t- K$ q. P/ i  m> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
4 `% a" P( @9 n2 i8 G1 g( ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
: w6 H/ i- R. e& Y3 P* b% V> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
' U# g: u# v9 G, d. l> 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
' S$ S9 Q! C* c4 [1 b9 }( {> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
- o2 K( E( _- S  ^: s> 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
' M0 k* ?: Y/ H> circled the bases toward home.
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/ m  U) C( p, h" \8 w# z2 R5 I> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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) s1 y/ X3 \2 M0 o( E> 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
> 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
4 T' ]; b; b& M. r  O2 d> into this world'.
>
* u: w  p! C1 W4 r8 g! V> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 }, C0 ]& M: C; V9 C4 f7 c7 W> 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
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 |- {: U0 \" ]+ s, n! {, d> 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.
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> 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
/ S! D$ c8 \2 {9 ^* q, A> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
/ H  I# o) o  Q) P! c2 `3 E$ ?> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- L; @5 \# H( H8 H# |7 P9 o> 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
. X( J2 I7 O! a) z& V$ n1 C> bit colder in the process?
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7 b* f: e" ?+ U> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) l& E/ j$ w5 k) \' ^1 F& e" T> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
5 W4 ?, c' N/ q! }9 }> 1. Delete
  X0 {! L6 `/ t- }" L> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.