Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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4 C- @1 N  K/ N5 z4 W> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# n) o" `3 f( h1 _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ f: d7 `" V* s> 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
: y- U4 J; }8 d) a> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 h- ^! h. ^7 m> 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?'
  o" p% D( W* M1 X>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# }- K3 J; a! Z$ @* w$ {> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: Y5 ]9 B4 A! D( z& k) E* W> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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, N$ a" f3 O* a: Y- x& k/ P- O5 n> 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
" E" y/ Y  C) {9 V, `! 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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, K+ L3 W: G% {2 T+ |> 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
/ i. C4 w# ~7 d4 X' N* p! C$ D# L> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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6 ~) f4 x4 c' @. v, e* n> 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
$ R# W+ q8 A% o> 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
% U) J# ]% r, N! J- u' T. u. r; R/ r> 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
, n! j$ J2 I2 s- N, l> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: [7 T& s% ~+ c2 b% i- v: H> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
9 t4 {) C9 P9 U7 j( J0 g. z! _> 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
4 P% O: g, H: b$ c> next at bat.
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1 o* \+ D* S2 N# Z9 s2 j0 u> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 F# p  I, @5 g' I> 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
> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; u! @) M* x! c! T> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ Y+ x2 s, B+ _8 ]+ `9 H> right back to the pitcher.
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: y; K7 D5 [) p7 t+ w6 S) |/ p> 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
8 p+ c+ x; B9 E> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
$ @& c; g1 o5 I# v> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
% _: i5 U2 H' ^% ~0 H6 W> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
" c- z/ _6 \! ~9 n& ~* X3 k> wide-eyed and startled.
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* Y1 z. H0 |) g; P% Z# }0 @+ O> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 B5 N- n' J$ @8 r> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 _3 _" P" M% L0 g> 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
; ^: V8 E- }. W2 j> 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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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( x7 I# m4 H' e> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 ~2 ^1 [1 v( e! c9 b  R# x4 m6 s> Shay, run to third!'
>
9 |" V3 A& t- [7 n) s; ]. l> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# F+ q5 y3 l) }0 i4 R& ]> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ N. d8 |& G2 u* O  f> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! ~2 c$ c* }6 c( S% }> game for his team.
>
7 z* U6 S. k3 @; b> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
# H/ G8 C, u9 e3 F> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
3 M% q& t' ^& ^1 C: F' g- s> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 W/ l+ D! T6 K% [- C3 [# J1 L> 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
$ x! A1 @* \! a3 k0 x3 F+ V> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: g. A" N( m1 s* S> 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
- ?* a8 v, M" d. [/ m% I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
5 D# K5 s# j) l4 I: `> You now have two choices:
; a* ^" v4 ^+ ]! s  c' u$ C> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
7 q0 {7 o9 L. {7 A> May your day, be a Shay Day.