Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* _6 @: v7 q! s> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 U( p; C6 y& A' K> same choice?
>
> 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
: k! P5 Y1 z! S7 `; R2 R1 t  Q: l> 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
: w5 e& E( k# i+ d, |  K7 Z> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 _1 |; i3 s$ ?; |3 A) B3 t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 [8 j- a  k) d! h; P% m! s+ e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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  l2 ?4 w3 Q* R3 T# [5 d> Then he told the following story:
>
3 ?3 j- X1 y3 V5 U> 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
. F+ b, \: V1 D! i8 V> 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
7 V0 r: `! \5 n- i- k; s0 l$ g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
) t4 {3 w* ~  r" F& E/ X6 A6 e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ \  S2 e2 n. x8 y3 s  s! M> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 a  q/ ~2 z+ X> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
: Z5 U" l$ @( T6 L8 E, ^, a+ H6 _> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, u# P( O3 A, D" x% c> inning.'
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& A/ ~: e0 b6 z1 P$ y9 v> 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( C+ X5 v, |: i/ F) Y; Z8 e> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 h5 g0 K& o# Q% e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
) [8 c0 d, o  x2 X- E> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
; y; o, T  ?9 W8 {- }7 K> 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
! W) A; I; X; k" Y4 y8 w/ v- j> 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
& i  O3 @# Z" ?> next at bat.
>
; \& Y9 o, m" t5 `; s( B> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 d! N) F0 I( p4 m> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
. ]- k' N8 s1 D* E' p5 f> 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
; r# k8 o. z  O: P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
( C4 d/ {9 L0 S/ z) b5 O+ e. r> 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.
5 @& E! |- @& {9 e! Z5 D8 c9 c> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
* {. g7 f' x! k3 p0 N# x> right back to the pitcher.
>
, w! J2 ?- \1 w, B1 F+ \) E( N8 k> 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
- K9 o6 C" {* c> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
( s( A: H, E3 X( U* l> 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.
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, Y$ w# t: v+ H& o/ v. `> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& f. C, f+ G2 T0 e+ b> 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
! @6 k4 K8 _% s( y4 a9 Y' [% {> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
. U( E& N. C1 q; X9 _3 n> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
- ?! ^* i# V, P> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 J$ E2 a/ q4 s5 v* |; c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
, t( \8 ]1 }2 [> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
- {" p" N- \) O9 q8 n> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 |9 e9 }. [, H> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
% A8 N+ d$ I$ R+ j' f> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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% p: [; n$ Q6 V/ t% ^; [> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% j4 Q/ R2 v" E> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* d, z5 t$ Z. L. u5 e( ?> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
  K2 X& n) C6 W+ W8 A4 z> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> '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
$ X. R2 {' c/ u" x* K8 ?: U> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ V9 U) e2 a4 L6 V  @6 S5 T9 f; c: 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
6 A- |% l% o- h7 p/ D> bit colder in the process?
>
% ?; S/ t, @; U) W6 M; H> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
0 o2 z6 L2 c0 k+ V9 U0 ]& I) |> 1. Delete
4 u% D# f" r9 R> 2. Forward
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; g* o* X! q# [4 S; |" \> May your day, be a Shay Day.