Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 S6 P5 n( A* g; ~- \> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! [! S* l' p, y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( a7 d. J' L' P> same choice?
>
3 J5 c! g6 y9 Z% ~> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) E0 k0 ~% y) {' D$ G5 U/ ^; R4 z> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  Z) L2 W6 f& N$ v> 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.
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0 o* R4 R8 ~! I& u) v+ W' t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. b* G+ w3 }% W- ?# g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
9 J) E4 \8 y. o0 b1 W& P> Then he told the following story:
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1 \6 S; m- u: q3 |! }8 ]" |) u> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
+ H7 [  [5 Q/ j1 u7 v: [8 w$ B6 }> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- X( A+ s% B1 G- W> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
& x" s0 X0 x  Y: s; c, D: t  i> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& l: t( ~. f8 c> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 F7 p# X! Z& M- ?4 A  z/ i# `> 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
- ]2 i3 c$ E' N& e> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
8 E/ w: r: I7 a6 @; ]+ d> inning.'
) M! a, V# W9 H, E$ ]>
> 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
! a( K' G8 ?7 l2 a> 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
/ H$ t3 O# j: ~9 ]> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
; U( U/ D; }( I> 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
> next at bat.
/ B8 l1 w3 j# I9 p$ L3 H>
% T2 B1 [- i# G# d# q. e: P> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
1 ~1 s7 K5 P1 Q6 t5 @3 f& B4 L7 i> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
9 j, s, ?) C! C- S: {, x> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
1 A8 a) V' d& g* @& }3 N" d> 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
; i) ]% W* @' [4 F0 w3 z> 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
) S8 k0 q) a3 Z, j$ D4 ~> right back to the pitcher.
2 U  ?% e5 j+ u/ M2 C+ T! r>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) y1 ]. I8 ^2 ]" O$ A8 t> 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.
>
% q6 A0 G  P6 y# M. f> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% Y" I9 A( X/ \3 M; ]) W> 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
; L( p( d. I6 S" |6 I7 H2 }) X> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
/ }: t0 p* X2 k, r) n% H6 ~1 B> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
2 ?2 p: F, |& d% \5 p> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 n& N2 W+ ~2 I* H5 {> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
; g4 [0 I$ F1 |( M/ K9 X9 j, X7 t> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' w! r# L6 s2 r8 E> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
% U6 ~& D& W1 X; q4 W- D0 T" n6 M> 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'
>
> 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!'
>
> 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
: H% v8 Y& }8 f8 |: \> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
, v6 W* R" `- |2 m; `5 j> game for his team.
>
0 ~( g( m& P) a> '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'.
+ F# I  Y3 |0 R- S6 Y: y- 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# [: K8 t! L7 T9 y$ F9 u9 P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
, Q# C3 c0 y% G& b> 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.
% T! t) g* ~9 W( s>
& ]) Y* L2 I# S1 t> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. S) s6 q. ]2 J3 ~0 x2 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- M& @1 G3 U# O. |" D; c/ \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
2 b2 i' o1 \% B% u4 s. ^> 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
' s9 l! d. R& W0 a+ B" ]" m> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
9 k! ]0 |# [2 Q; i/ o& Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% C# J9 T- q) c" s; j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 P5 n6 n( F9 x8 o5 g>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.