Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' `7 a% H" ~% O4 [) j> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 a6 S; m% \2 E1 U> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; [- K$ _9 E0 v> same choice?
4 u& {' _5 d8 \/ H3 l8 p5 e>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( h+ t7 h7 \3 S* G! F- A3 g) W> 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
7 ?) [& L6 E: T! h; E! C7 l6 h! t* a> staff, he offered a question:
>
1 i1 @# X! E. f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 l, u5 i# u6 [; _2 Y> 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?'
1 d9 m- R7 C; v* H2 I& O. P9 A>
* o0 J) h, m5 C6 q& J> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; X' a2 m. M' \: w4 Y* u. X+ f> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 f# Z' d9 |2 z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
# `* k# e" w% N& }) `# O- G& D> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
7 j) P" K1 K+ n6 c5 j9 C> treat that child.'
>
3 h8 O. _6 `% L- O9 z: ^* w, O, K> Then he told the following story:
>
( {1 F& s, M5 M9 W> 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
. }  H4 w' `+ t8 x0 n> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
/ _- ^. {# ^& A3 x8 Z> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
1 d, _; o3 R& C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
, s6 `1 {2 K$ V" a4 x>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' b7 R' \5 J+ ]- n3 V> 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
' D' D8 N2 O1 J+ [3 a4 a' y9 ?> inning.'
>
5 X% l5 G2 U9 t& G> 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
$ Q# g' t  l4 q2 b, D> 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  o% C: P8 O4 q' }5 M> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) k0 V2 h, T! l" q> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& u5 R+ C2 V( Q5 v+ O> 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
) p9 z) p* ~0 K5 T! C> next at bat.
>
> 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
7 z; ^- `: B, W. Z8 a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
9 e+ ]6 I' R8 a1 J> 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
) ~3 N& i, c1 I9 o9 k: a" v# n> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
0 d0 O" y! |9 }' T- }> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 @( y2 ^/ N# m, x" W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
/ }3 E$ I- r5 {5 U8 H> right back to the pitcher.
>
0 g5 g0 e4 F: S- D> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 m' ~) K3 p! C6 u> 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
& L  A2 t) B1 V; ~> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
4 k. h/ F1 b3 H> 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.
>
) a0 t, K6 I% n( j3 U; m> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- Z- w" O$ w/ W9 }! o# k> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
# P6 j% B2 J+ z( s* X" ^  z0 M> 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
5 p$ g; m4 N& T> 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,
7 h7 N, m3 I0 D' Q# x- @, n* O> 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.
" Y7 U0 d2 ?5 R2 a, H>
> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 A& n- o5 P" H  z' |9 D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
& o( v9 W0 C9 }- k8 [1 w> 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
0 |! I% u8 [8 d1 Y7 x0 H> game for his team.
+ l: W  T/ v, ]* a5 \" N- T>
> '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'.
' p1 `% @. S& h' c5 `; h>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 M# m  P1 ~2 s> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  C" d" c) t4 g8 O, {6 G> 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
( E+ o( U2 X: S+ U> 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
  t& f6 _% ]- y7 j  `# m8 I- g) A- p> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
3 c! y7 D; ?: w6 P2 @> 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
2 w2 Z4 @" U" ~/ @> 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
& K; K/ w2 J* e2 o> bit colder in the process?
& l3 h4 X  M6 d, {9 W" B>
, S, ]0 E6 j( E2 ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
5 {; C. l; }6 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
) H" S7 W( |( \2 W7 g' U9 T8 Y>
> You now have two choices:
3 R% q( k4 G/ I4 D- ^> 1. Delete
4 ~& R) q  a) d8 ^% m3 T9 F> 2. Forward
>
$ h5 P  P9 J0 ^8 M) ~4 @( e> May your day, be a Shay Day.