Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" [" E) e3 u6 e) ^> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) ^+ \: w+ V  o$ Z. x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
, Y* A9 |& I* o: p$ }5 ]4 g> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ r: n- G2 l( {1 ?2 K" v- L5 H3 f- _> 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
; _& ?0 k+ G$ x6 B> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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$ x! L/ C# T) h2 x; V, @3 r> The audience was stilled by the query.
5 R& \. q( P! |>
/ R$ a* d( l9 W, T> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 {( f. J1 O% z> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ A7 y$ w" G. J> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> 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
& J* V" e- k7 W% Q4 s* v> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 l* @. K/ \! }& {# M> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
$ q! j& L1 D. O  m1 E> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
3 D% |" n1 Z7 c9 k) Y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ q* Z% K$ i( E  ?2 s* u4 b" Y6 ]+ Z0 A> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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- ?4 {& _/ Z+ u1 h. h* q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
$ \0 d$ L3 j2 N) r% _> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* N# ^5 c, ~& N' \% X> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 J0 w' x& V$ I  b> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
3 K* P5 S( H. r  P1 P>
> 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
% j; u! w) {- A7 Q, f% Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
0 b2 ]6 s' s# z% C( y1 Y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
! F5 _+ J3 u. N+ k> 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
2 G0 P5 G' E4 f' \$ y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. G- f& S, p  N. F> 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
, m% r* k" M3 G5 z+ X- j3 J> next at bat.
>
! z" ~6 {, p. i3 a+ u* F$ W> 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
% D7 p5 p1 P) b* N+ P- 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 \+ y  z# Q- B2 k> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
7 f; w+ G; b2 b/ K  p( L7 g) A' Y/ k> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
$ T, t, N+ p/ S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
+ n) f# E' |/ A3 V2 z> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
2 D4 ]/ T* V0 \7 b> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
; y7 ]6 d) W  Q  A1 p* @> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
, F" g8 r. G" P8 ^) l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
) `$ M% a1 q* ^# I# v2 C> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
; P' G+ Z6 [9 S) }' N> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
) r- J" O' v) q0 U6 l& u> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
/ P; [. \3 m9 a% j> 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
3 {/ J+ c0 w) a+ l# l> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
* |  r9 J0 \$ Y- |) `( G> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
) t4 a2 _& M, f1 j> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 F9 }$ S4 P$ i6 t: O6 I> circled the bases toward home.
>
% V& W/ l9 a3 }8 `$ ~> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
6 j4 S4 S4 {4 s8 Z, W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
" N7 y. y1 c: g4 s% P: w> 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
% P: ?8 W* i" |) E  R/ O; d> 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
' R, ]6 n1 \6 d; w. [- S> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: c4 u5 v! d& e' Q> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
/ K3 @7 H* F; s> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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- s  K7 n; i  b> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* R( V! j& s" R9 J  Y; d> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
5 w; k! ^% c" T+ j1 Z3 D$ f1 K> 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.
>
> 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
! J* Y( I% c# Z6 o/ m6 E> 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
6 i( c. d' g0 o> 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
8 ]4 R# f% w' q( f' Q> bit colder in the process?
% J  O5 i+ @% Y4 u% O0 J>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' X. ?) B7 s$ |6 F6 A8 D3 y. a> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
" Y0 O! F) t# M8 B! A> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.