Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 O( S$ _3 R5 ?- {* y& P  ]> 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
+ ~3 @6 s4 L- M; A* `- k> same choice?
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! h# E" W: `9 G5 M/ b> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& H7 m+ M9 ^0 l: k1 b> 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
0 L+ \! h7 F2 ?( ^0 A0 E) V" X) ^# G> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. Q7 Q1 e, n% R5 s. t& A; U! F, v* C> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# o! G* }% v8 f; n> natural order of things in my son?'
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& @: m, S3 N8 b# F7 b; C> The audience was stilled by the query.
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1 x! R) k  {) i7 a( Y8 {0 N+ ?> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 W1 b  S! f% i4 A! x1 q+ d> 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.'
>
7 M2 V* s  C) W2 J! c> Then he told the following story:
>
: i/ m3 ]: C* r/ i4 F> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 G2 Y& N+ I' l, G; B9 d! n! C# u' \2 n> 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
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 P7 @, d5 G/ A+ V0 Q> 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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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
2 M* Z! q8 J8 I4 i$ I> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
% g- n6 ~4 r& v8 M) i: ]> 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.'
>
> 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
5 P  t; O. L2 N' }6 e> 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
> 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
> 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.
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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
8 d5 S+ B' S( g" f3 M5 D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
- R* {( I2 m3 d" o: e1 ~> 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
% }! t. J: S4 P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% X( K6 W. l' J! I> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
  p9 l) ^  U. U$ F! c> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 V3 z0 B3 Y( m1 Y3 ?$ [8 A> 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.
>
> 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
' D- \8 C2 b0 T" W> 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
# y4 b/ R% _7 l0 ?> 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
6 _& I, w- }/ V% z& U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 l8 [- K" b+ F! r/ r" K% d> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
3 `2 b/ t/ Z! r$ n4 Z> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
2 e1 X5 s) w0 S$ P  q& q> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
% i8 D8 Q, f, w# q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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4 c$ p% H1 M! B9 S  M> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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* W- `- R9 ^* P! ]3 h> 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!
# G. o+ H2 E: U" t" E* Q> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
( N! |- G1 s7 J/ g/ m" X" r- y9 w, Y> 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.
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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
' \( D8 O. m" v% i* X. C> into this world'.
>
> 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
* w& p7 M0 A# z! c> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 J2 c4 \3 I5 t; Z  `. L3 u> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 N/ P0 p$ r# a7 w0 E> 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
- L, h5 a  h0 K7 h! S8 s- k> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
% K2 C% d7 `0 m- y8 ~" T# S> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
! F$ D, Y/ F( |# O1 U6 `> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
, B  n( B9 P% D# [! e1 C> '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
. g6 b5 k$ M2 A! W# @: `2 w5 r> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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1 l7 }% h0 |9 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:
) N  Y: L! k  [8 k> 1. Delete
* C1 D/ A9 ^& y+ U9 x7 I> 2. Forward
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: f. F2 l* k4 R$ Y+ P! P$ X> May your day, be a Shay Day.