Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 E& e( u  j! M  H2 |! n> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
% f1 B8 U) y3 k, l8 v1 `> same choice?
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5 L3 Z- J# u" ?) `" p% k0 }1 K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: S) E% o4 e' |0 _3 [' \> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
% [1 i/ ^# c2 _* x: W. ^) f( r, |> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( Z- @" H( a( g; m" q> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
# n0 l) s, D- P( ^  F9 Z. ?> 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?'
>
# A7 |: W, j$ K> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
1 F7 X4 O% t' b1 n; {8 s' N0 U> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 w0 g: T8 G2 }7 T1 k; H> treat that child.'
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! g2 y" E# \7 }6 [% p+ l> Then he told the following story:
>
# |( x0 ]" l" c: [& M' A/ N> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
4 p- L! n9 e4 g" x  n, D5 s$ J> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ c, {7 p! r1 `8 g6 A, i> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
2 I- e" L9 r  q; O3 t> 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
% F+ T/ S- b5 M> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  V2 G1 D+ J* z) e: z( E> 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
: O. \) E& z9 X/ F- {# N1 \> 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
& U5 U, i. \# s- _1 G7 [> 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
' b7 E2 N' ]3 G+ c' E: t2 r> 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
; r) q; \& e* U, T> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
- J* {8 R3 f) x/ ]8 Y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
8 [0 {( n5 B8 y. t4 L> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
8 x) I1 U7 x5 Z$ ?> much less connect with the ball.
) ?! O4 [5 z, }> 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
! {8 ]  t4 }3 M3 F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ {$ U. k* f+ ]1 q2 X> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- u! K( q3 h1 }  W% G0 c> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( p5 h: D$ Q0 i/ k7 _' F, P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ Z: y- H, O( g; x> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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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8 }+ K6 A3 ?7 d> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
3 j* K, l4 r& o+ m  ^/ g+ `> 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
. C& S* H+ v$ E( e4 K1 |> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
- F' z$ L. i' F( @) }> 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
> 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,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% A% c" M  G9 W2 |> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( r% t: A% R: K& ]# p> circled the bases toward home.
>
, Y. m4 e, O4 Y# b> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
/ [6 R% ^, I; |1 ^3 m> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 V& }( b9 A. C" x> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; k0 B; ?9 W' H! @+ |2 A7 X/ v> 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'.
>
0 i1 Z1 y7 `2 }! G1 |> 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
; F9 c- e7 l. q# Q) f) z> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% p2 v# w0 g  ?# D5 q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ u% U! r3 J" r7 q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 g( m; ~/ @& K8 U" P7 Z* u> 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
> 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
8 o$ x0 o  v( ]> 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
8 j+ h- Z6 @1 V( f; C: L4 H0 K' G> bit colder in the process?
>
* m. D, X! F; h' [& D2 X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
* I( d% [+ q  z4 N! o9 ]6 q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 B* L) S% k6 a  I1 q. R- ^6 C> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
- A6 Y) g- ?1 |5 F7 |: j> 2. Forward
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( X  Y! M- U2 A; r! F: @% W8 }> May your day, be a Shay Day.