Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! ~4 P+ B& a  `- G> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( j8 D# @8 _, L9 N. N9 Q4 d- \> same choice?
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. k) g+ w7 ~( G> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# x* g! T1 l4 R  b> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, Q; \2 n" _, s& g> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; S( O: l! c: G% i0 \) ?. o> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
- P& E/ A. [) h> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
& y  m$ b  a3 l; a* I5 T- Y; q3 U> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 E! ?6 e) H+ c5 k( ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
) c0 d& \) u5 u% O& l' A9 o> 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
' r9 J  _: r+ Y+ {( O# H> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
2 }# ?  T: H8 C+ n) z& Z! V> 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
/ A2 s! [; L4 a/ W0 O> 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
* R6 h% _9 I4 k6 k> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
" C& W1 d, r2 W/ I6 v> inning.'
>
$ _+ E8 X7 Z% G& [+ 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
0 @$ z. Y: p4 s6 l% u  `> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* _+ N' _1 o) V; G> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
' o4 a" X- R" G3 ^+ R/ H8 p  H> 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
% @: z6 K) Y) U  a- W+ i: Y> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 o& F) q# n, ?$ O> 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
: U) o9 R* ~- R6 O! X4 p/ y. H& ^6 B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 j. E8 {8 ]( q4 p, k1 F; |: B/ O> next at bat.
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> 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
) t- Q5 U8 o: s) @+ b5 {; W9 z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
+ J% M1 K" \9 s. I" E. q+ l> much less connect with the ball.
- A" L$ q: z- I> 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
* z- z7 a8 J. M4 y) H* [+ {1 ~0 B4 u> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 E: b# M/ O# M5 j1 ^, r  s3 v8 M> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
5 h) @( ^+ f3 A. O$ V> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
) X" V! v# v' h( y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ _; ?* p$ W9 f+ n3 {> right back to the pitcher.
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( |  n0 G& d* y! s> 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.
>
> 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
4 l3 _: i( i0 d7 r' I1 r> 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.
>
0 x  c3 {% l, i; k> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
% E) Y( v. M5 v* A! n> 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
) B2 a1 f$ ?' A3 B> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!
# ?9 F, @. }/ y9 Z* F> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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.
>
+ l' B' W& o) o) q> '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
( l3 b% e7 C3 N/ |7 I. b, c+ E> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% o) w7 U5 }  u  g8 T7 p+ D- I9 L4 V6 W> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 {/ H% M2 w0 l' S; c> 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
' c1 P& y; l, z. `1 W/ Y> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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& A* C. F( W+ v> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 e. H' n* ~  u8 y# F1 P, H> 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
" x( D) e& Z4 q- O$ F  s6 U: A6 [> 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
% u+ s# a8 F& P* {> 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
5 v+ ]2 F9 H9 Y4 o; h& N> bit colder in the process?
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* C/ \' ^8 J  c5 G( p: ~; J9 J> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 `0 `. I, b. g$ O> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
% N1 @7 m% q( u, Y/ ~6 }> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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( W- _& C, f: m2 G4 m9 D> May your day, be a Shay Day.