Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
6 O+ [# @/ I5 V& u1 ]' e: d> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
6 T' }, j* N( M+ j$ S8 b> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
4 t# r! o8 u) J5 Z) [( S> 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
5 b, V/ Z2 V8 l7 b5 a- L> staff, he offered a question:
>
8 ^# v$ E4 q8 z, V- a1 M> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
8 U, G7 J  B$ C) `, \+ g1 N> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
6 p# G5 a: G0 p, o3 W> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 q  V" ]& Q9 R; e% Z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, G7 I: Y5 S$ l, }! Z8 T$ U> treat that child.'
>
# k$ s. g: O2 y3 i/ \> Then he told the following story:
0 B- x) b2 Z# N# W>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 ~5 w# w- }# ~& b6 H> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
3 _' }5 y- Q( e. N/ a* |> 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,
# p- L) ]4 O/ }4 L> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
7 N) S5 ~' O, W# J  K, o> 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
> inning.'
% T+ e3 \" g  Y+ d3 U1 r>
! G( O) G9 n+ N5 g7 h0 V4 D% 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
9 T8 ~( {3 \& N) U, ?6 i3 A* @3 O> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 \, }) U6 B& M" `> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
+ ^; x/ S8 r# Y> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 ]" }8 E* Z; I4 j+ \" ?; w( \/ v" D> 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
3 O( d+ v6 X( `+ c2 T& |/ o% \. l> 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
' Q' ~" h) h2 C  ~' z# Y1 I> 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
3 K: I" ^4 ^1 L8 [9 _' g> 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
+ S4 m. R! c. Y& E' E+ y& I> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
( z# S' v/ {* \* M( M> 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
! \# X" K$ T; m" v. n> right back to the pitcher.
4 E( k1 C3 X5 |/ Z& G9 z>
> 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 C: q! C& }4 U* @> out and that would have been the end of the game.
, C% M& S6 n8 U. h>
# e# {) o/ T$ `% J> 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
; v4 m- ]8 B0 m& v4 C> 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,
1 ~" p! D) N+ W9 K7 V/ V> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
* N5 X; S: @/ {( `6 e* m> 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
> 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
# _* o$ O- h5 f8 a: I> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
, k( W/ h$ _8 `- X> circled the bases toward home.
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$ u6 M6 D! f" f4 [" P! |+ ?> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 C& H' c6 T0 k$ E> 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!'
>
; [0 P, b3 {* u* f0 A  W0 c, {4 b4 s> 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.
>
0 c# E/ g+ V: X. L3 ~/ c> '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'.
7 p- ], @% P9 a>
> 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!
  E. }: r- e9 B1 `9 q>
3 H! J- p5 U: f> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
- u4 x+ h. i3 {$ M, x9 m> 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
/ D7 N. R8 M; E) D> 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
+ c. K* C7 ^9 w1 X. a# B> 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
1 X* w' @0 P4 o  A! _> 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
0 C$ x8 X1 ]3 `> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; u) ~: S) h# v3 ^! J> 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
! `# Y1 L  F) o0 H> bit colder in the process?
>
4 h% n+ c! o; c/ h, e. D" j& @> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
- {8 D! c% U" f5 K  w/ P$ i1 t5 p>
+ l' R' h) X% R' U> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
' j! C% y' Y$ l) i>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.