Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
# ~6 \$ _8 Y  F0 H3 a>
3 c+ i) m3 R  g> 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
) Y* d% ?- Y2 ~) d3 a* e6 _8 k> same choice?
+ I& S0 o7 |4 i! m>
2 }4 U- Y0 W8 `  N4 ?* ]) q8 U> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* h! v" [; @8 ^7 I: D: E6 y> 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:
: H) \' O  {8 \>
$ u0 ?* w0 d) L8 k, p1 r> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
/ }) g3 B9 v- X& f1 q3 y> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
7 `6 L% a( f3 l$ ~( d" X9 [" e>
$ X  ]5 n8 n, F! }8 g> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
$ E0 d( _0 B% c. d, \/ o& g> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
7 l' d8 C- ^: h) b, A) R. i> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
* [3 r5 P' i. @+ S' o: g+ t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 V9 W6 X% M' _! g$ P> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
3 n  A% e5 T/ B8 T+ v# B( I, L> 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.'
8 S0 {- l2 \. ^+ l3 Q  n>
4 s; `  q( u+ f, ~+ _4 l' z: v9 _> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) w. j9 ?$ g& \, A7 }& Q> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
& {9 K. {2 K8 k* b9 H; N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
# Q% s" p1 k. x( M  x> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
( q; O( J+ Q! m& W7 C! E+ m& y> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( n! j2 {- E/ r1 k  J> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 r: I* ?, ]( `) N2 Z4 V2 T7 X> 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
% H2 G( G, @2 T$ m> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
8 f/ J7 \- v! x3 F, h> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
( l9 Q8 c2 r: ]9 ^' Y, ^7 n>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
: k% l( T4 \9 \$ Q9 N0 i2 I' v> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% i5 ]& Y* {; |6 C  {. ]$ q% q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
8 M, l1 D6 U$ P7 E0 y; s7 y4 g> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
% S& l( X8 |2 H: P: F! Y  K3 d> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; ~; v5 z- X2 R0 M/ A& _; z& j> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 A" O2 d* M) v. y9 [5 e: b> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
( {# P" K5 z. r+ r% C1 I% b- A* s> 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
  R- r5 I, i+ p; c; U5 {> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
. L( o% M+ L* E5 c> 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
5 J, k5 m9 s* v; B# p> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
: L+ G& H  r: o; L+ q) I+ I" w> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 p( [+ V/ h$ t8 j> 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
1 `5 n8 S- k$ F% y% u. n> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 Q) B, h. E/ Z3 v! @. m> 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
$ \5 ]8 u) U( V& h' u* H% K. L> into this world'.
. H; K6 g% E: V2 p>
# N8 f: b  P5 k9 H" a. F$ ?> 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
3 A& e" \! e6 A2 V> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
: D" f2 U& i7 T0 }; T& {  O7 M0 L; f>
> 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
+ F% J$ b$ J& C- \( [> 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.
) H/ e1 ^* r5 C* w$ K>
! x6 O) Z7 b3 u> 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
) l: w9 l# y9 B/ Q! J+ G! d> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 c( ]) e2 F. G) X0 s# f! o# o. i> 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
/ `' c# `! U7 O. I' T> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( W! @5 c, h  c& X6 Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
+ Q1 C: E* [( e4 M> You now have two choices:
$ |: p, l  F3 `: Q5 j% f2 S" K> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
/ @* Z' a- ^: S3 _4 u>
0 v- A3 q% r7 _  m( E$ y% B% ?> May your day, be a Shay Day.