Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
- k7 l& _" {, Z> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: S6 i8 y7 ?. R- v. e> 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,
/ k) H" g5 [. E7 X" y> 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; a; |4 t" t- |7 T  o; Q& U> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
2 |3 ]  i0 g4 k> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 C. h8 T2 u( J- F. B8 w0 O> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: Q5 I- l, A3 n" I6 i4 S1 D> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) o1 P' y# i# P# ^& Z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> 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
6 {/ R2 K' \; F+ Y5 [' j> 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
8 `6 q) M1 m' `: N2 a> 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
> 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
> 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
8 ?: i! [8 h4 k4 u8 o& R) r> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
1 V) {" `  g3 R2 s> 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
0 E' g  q7 ^  x5 l& [9 w> 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.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 c  j+ e$ S! P  M' o( y, j* p* |> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
9 ]1 I; P$ C1 N- a* k4 g/ |> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 \( y; S: d; l: v1 ~6 B* \> much less connect with the ball.
; h& y3 R9 G8 x' m> 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
3 C! T9 s7 E+ A  T4 [" `: @> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 i( l) v4 w  Z1 q> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
) V  M" i, _6 Y  J> 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
$ w0 X" N- h" k9 Z) [> right back to the pitcher.
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, m/ o- b( Y+ f) P+ t0 X6 e7 h> 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
( c( N1 i* L7 y0 w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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  d# z( [$ m* u4 Q) R/ F) k7 C  f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
7 z6 n* D* a; a* a8 r+ i> 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 @' `7 U) |  g9 n; }> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
: ^; x3 h! k# {7 {> wide-eyed and startled.
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: ~9 x" d' M5 c' x7 K> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 o2 c3 W3 v4 z! P' `" X8 D5 ]> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 J8 ^! w4 w6 m9 [1 S- ]> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ u" u  u7 j2 _1 q! `> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
8 V9 h- T( F4 s* f- p& \6 V' d> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% x; y) }5 k5 {, V7 \/ j> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
; M' o* n4 K, Z" y> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. f! }8 D1 a9 q4 _# y7 Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
6 E% R5 p) Q& y; H  M& f+ N9 B- T> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% S# \2 u( h' O- ]& q> 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!
  q8 q" b+ u# N> Shay, run to third!'
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- `: R$ J# m4 X! o$ a> 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.
>
6 \, v* `* j, F( |# U/ J> '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
- I/ a4 J1 p1 |3 P" D> 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
> 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
% [; N& n6 U/ t5 |> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
- m" k# R" J0 F2 l> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
8 c1 I; x  B! P* M  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
: U7 B/ B) V  Q- E0 E$ \. b- W> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
7 r) ~4 ?- \# g9 e> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
4 j9 L% ^0 X% P* f' \> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' e& j+ \4 z/ p> bit colder in the process?
>
; ^7 J% Z, g" I: R> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, P" W+ q2 h; o& J5 c! ~. {> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 Q8 Z% Y1 O/ o> You now have two choices:
- \7 e: i* M& ^4 n2 r, E/ z7 G> 1. Delete
, ~5 e6 Z; e: \& n% |> 2. Forward
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' Y& `$ M+ o8 Q& G& K: X' H8 c  T> May your day, be a Shay Day.