Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 F+ g  _: O0 \3 Q$ I" P* [: s$ m> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( A- ^8 q( u$ i> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) ~3 v7 @; ?3 c9 c& {> same choice?
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9 L8 O' G6 B& Y$ _- ]> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 V' t/ |! b0 ~0 v9 v> 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
8 F" f6 @7 p$ f! s4 n> staff, he offered a question:
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6 _4 G! y  Y. [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& a9 c$ a" f6 ~/ {. c/ C> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 E2 R7 b3 m. }( ~+ `> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) @; a" J& |9 @2 l# v0 ~' }. A  ?> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 g, `# L+ F6 r> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
2 r' n, l7 V4 y# [9 J  f% X> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
( H0 p4 `- n2 @3 I> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
9 z+ w8 s5 ?; Z' [1 z* b: H6 a8 S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  D! \% m/ G& g" @8 P5 t> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( r" v6 t/ Y( g" q" o> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
6 U4 G- y" O, D" g>
2 |0 H, b! ~% j3 Q> 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
  e: ]) o7 x5 e# l1 I8 W> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 y6 w% t, O: ^2 E( u> inning.'
0 ~9 j  E3 a$ ]- Z1 X0 Y>
> 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
' y. B) f- Q. P1 T" w3 ^) {, B> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
+ m) }/ T) h  k3 f> 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
5 b4 R8 b- E  j4 m/ N> 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.
5 i: l8 I1 ^8 p& v$ H>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 L$ X, O: V2 j. q/ x' X> 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
$ t- h: ~# E$ p- ^> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
! ?! P& x0 x% a; [" d> 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
& o& D' _9 }$ P& y/ V/ k. K> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( o) W' Q2 e: k5 e> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. X( o6 n3 M) G0 s  H7 h> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) Q* w# |$ E! ~2 U9 B7 F& s$ W: G> 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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$ G$ r7 Z5 t' d5 v5 `% o: x> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 z# b) O! s. |: T% P- {! p> 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
+ `9 Y. M# o6 \> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
2 z9 s& c$ c0 Y9 O7 }% U# O5 f8 D> 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
# c& \& L& ]) c7 ^: C2 e% ]> 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
+ ]! x( \: P6 C6 ^: b5 _) B2 s> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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/ w8 I0 B" \- V, K( K> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( G) N/ X4 e" t> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
9 g, O* J0 E+ y' h0 {>
> 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.
>
. _+ c4 Y' C$ w* G& d9 c) x> '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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> 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
/ c, t- P/ Z7 R! Z6 t! R" b> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 v  M: H3 F& e1 f9 {; B> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
; a; m7 u6 b9 P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, w7 y8 A8 v0 b; o" L> 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.
>
8 I8 V+ R9 Y2 l. C> 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
> '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
- Y% Y" j1 a: @9 j8 I- g> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
' U2 w- z; j0 I1 B> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 q3 n" Q% p- D, d! z6 h8 F- `" z> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 O/ h# Y- d/ q/ M0 L2 N: L/ u( x* M> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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+ f  M  t* z. K4 ], g9 S> You now have two choices:
+ S: ^6 s+ O6 Y: Z: i> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 }2 }# o1 f7 b; l: i+ B' G> May your day, be a Shay Day.