Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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6 W6 n  Z9 N* r3 R/ B> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, c" R* P% D1 I' B, d( ]7 H> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
8 ~9 |$ c( B# ^, v$ P$ X> 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
6 F/ I8 R' D- L> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 L2 m, ]7 U3 B7 x1 X: u> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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2 o5 f% o7 p8 e9 \+ v. f> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
7 K4 M* r0 |9 x5 B3 i> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: ]* E* B3 q3 e9 z1 n8 y> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: R5 \& d1 E( U0 ^, c8 L) o' a9 ?> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
% L6 d+ ]1 N) z0 Y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 q5 ]: m; U3 b* `+ g( ?, M> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
) |/ ^' \) \2 x. a> 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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7 t& A7 ^# T" \' B4 |( @> 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
" Y( T: i- X3 v- f> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
8 g. ?( P& f* W2 ~> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
1 @; F/ G  k3 ?) H> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 v  `4 J8 _" I% e6 E> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- p0 P2 t( n; O> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
3 n8 v5 N% u" ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ }6 o1 }! r# t% X1 Z; O& Y2 \$ }> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% W4 i" j' ]# J> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
, J- ?  |3 J! j+ h1 i7 X( U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: q7 w! }) |6 c> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> 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
( z8 G) [6 |9 z9 p: S! P- q4 w- T> 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
: ^$ b# s) H7 Q- B4 ]9 s> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
& [, ^9 b) K& s+ [9 I> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
% J' W( x% T. }& n8 t9 A> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ Q+ Y' @- r& a; R> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
# _2 R3 K7 L. p$ }> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 _7 x! O6 A# V$ n" Q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
# p# ~, B8 T6 I# m2 {> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. G/ v* ?+ f! W7 I- K. v2 I> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 H( p$ g; O" ?/ W> 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
; l  n; W- g0 Q5 Z- Q" q: L> 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
6 w; W  ~- G* E. L: ^3 P1 j7 v> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
) P& X( Y4 [0 E6 J" R0 ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
! ]3 J) k( x1 y2 i; d> 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!'
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0 z* ?) `. \$ R: s. H/ Y> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 Z" {2 r1 f: I- D' R1 G8 a> 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
. Q: ]" Q: C( B" c& P0 I9 Q0 H4 y> game for his team.
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> '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
& n6 v; s  \8 d3 Z> into this world'.
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( U3 U8 B7 @7 r8 C# O% H3 n4 p% t> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
4 A  M" f9 q; b* T& D6 M> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. ]+ H( j: F! v% m/ `. T8 y0 D> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
. [! l4 f, N$ w: y( J( q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
; I, M: {) m; w( i> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) f$ F0 M$ I' U% `/ X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 t" Z; c3 G1 N( g% s0 A> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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; x, B  ~4 a# k8 O> A wise man once said every society is judged by
- `9 ^7 @4 p1 d+ Q& t; o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ I% v8 D1 q( Z' ]3 G* Z6 Y; J8 g> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.