Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 I' y# P6 ]) O& x2 o  V" |> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 V6 f1 o! d# }/ E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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8 P8 E; g6 L! s. D6 ~$ ~> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' C$ e- c- M, p- q> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
- e( }+ x/ p) u> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# L% Y3 g4 @5 B; _0 R9 P6 Z> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
) ?& W6 N! C* N' u5 O1 ~> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
; N' s6 q7 I3 S  Y/ {5 Q> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
% D% v2 I" y, P* L# i> Then he told the following story:
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! V0 W0 b- N4 C1 v> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 N2 m( g! P- A> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
. u# H* _$ D) v5 P; v7 g6 b  l> 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,
/ ^% q& ?7 G& p- N+ I1 d, O> 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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> 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
/ C" Y; H7 h0 b' X, |> 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
, ]& v: [7 x) y+ f( e, e> 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
* R8 Q" g% P: x; `2 p0 E> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* k6 O$ ]0 q, X8 f8 p> 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
& G2 z2 f9 d$ _8 w> 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
4 l' a# D$ w4 i> next at bat.
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' p/ M+ _; w5 _8 }  D: \9 `> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ p. t$ s6 ^; A( L4 k0 k> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
/ K8 g$ y+ A0 x3 n; s2 N> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
, K2 ^! ^5 E) i, [, j) z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  r* \2 O+ N5 c; i+ B> 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
' ~" R: `5 B9 A; k> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
# l+ y- Q$ V8 X9 U& s3 a$ g> right back to the pitcher.
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; q6 N/ R2 J5 ^/ w& b2 Y  r> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 g& t/ Q, h( t8 A8 d  V0 C- W7 G> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 K* J! ?# r# F> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# a" l7 \2 S, |3 W. T  X> 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 X! m" q( c+ z% q5 g8 s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ t# j; S7 H# u2 y1 T0 X% n. l> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; R+ @" a, g% e( v' R6 T! O9 t# I> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 e0 ]& g& ?; t: T8 K* `> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& k- W7 U" L& P" K' S% a$ k9 J, I0 J> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  C( A+ W1 [% x3 d> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, Z6 w# c; E/ d  d6 y. T, K> circled the bases toward home.
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> 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!
- S. q  V! ?$ l> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
2 Z0 e9 g( R; C! Z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
4 G) m7 n7 H- i6 g1 {' @> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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$ H3 B; W% G" _1 o: \$ O> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) c& ]4 ^, G/ M" U2 V2 ?  Z6 h> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& H" u4 \: c  P  V% o" {3 C> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 m* n3 t, v- \6 D> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. V9 j- V% x; L/ O, T7 e> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
3 k0 v0 `( F" w* G9 X> 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
: S7 K1 T/ _/ s( P$ v! t) q> bit colder in the process?
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' ^9 P% Q( _) t" }8 }! V; j> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
9 c; x/ L% D5 {) M0 X. N( r2 b, m# A> You now have two choices:
0 ^3 u! C8 l. Z5 ?> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
: ?7 {* y" ~) H" g% Q& v, s9 X> May your day, be a Shay Day.