Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& \) q3 D* u: A7 |. M2 [> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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" S; _& F! x+ {. S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 e. n. E2 u9 E: C6 N: x3 U6 X> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 {) I7 Z9 U+ r+ J: f$ ~! B9 d> 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
> 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
. j: S  o6 q- R( s: b> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 y' y! R' J; \7 }> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- s, V% `, f9 o1 w+ w$ N+ Q> 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
/ O& m- K8 X3 a& _+ ~  @+ j) U> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
, ?  v8 ?* n6 R. `* i# O( ~> 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
$ [6 }+ M$ E7 w* V* u> 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
> 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
> inning.'
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> 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
% g: h, ^" `6 n) Y0 g5 |) H> 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
, \1 i& U; t, t  L8 {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) z$ N) {! L# i( Y$ I$ o> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
$ k$ b) X5 |6 r1 s; Y% B$ q> 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
: {! H" b2 R4 i1 |8 z> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" t, G  `9 \- D6 V( \> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
* Q+ \( L1 r) m8 @) j  H& i> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
0 s4 n/ d! T8 M9 ~/ t, u& R: X3 u. j> 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,
9 _3 B" I1 l1 a5 r; n0 P/ E+ ]> much less connect with the ball.
, ^6 G. A  f2 V> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
! K) K8 n6 s/ R' G8 P6 k8 Q> 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
  [5 E$ E" D, }0 v> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! O& w5 s, F( \% M' }( A8 T> 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
/ m3 |. A! m. r' s4 o# u0 a+ k> right back to the pitcher.
>
* f, E& |0 p, y4 M/ m& y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 V2 A& U- o  U. Q+ |8 }; D> 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.
>
) |. f8 ~0 n4 J$ R> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
+ p, E( E: b) y2 e7 K' G  X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
# z" |, p/ y- ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( I2 K( U4 }1 i> wide-eyed and startled.
>
. V# }$ k" X$ k/ @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 ?+ v, s# P; n% o7 Z> 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
> 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
$ z' l8 ]7 r: O5 c  L9 `2 [: V> 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
( B8 }. Y3 L  x5 k3 h6 ~4 W8 Z> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: v' @5 g8 ]' Y8 E8 Q3 `> circled the bases toward home.
>
$ G0 L9 m- P! A8 H8 `1 ?" L> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!
0 ~; a- C0 z- D& ^. x> Shay, run to third!'
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! p; p7 ?/ ?+ c1 g> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; i1 A* ?% F3 m! o' v+ Y> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
7 D2 N5 Q0 E  T& ~2 Y- C> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 ?! {2 q) w- c$ T$ R+ u1 a9 H4 p> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' H4 ?  j$ T6 j( l% W  V> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> 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
& \- P4 q2 o$ X8 l2 p9 J$ n> 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
> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
' m4 }- j5 |% Q. ~" H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
9 H, q( d3 l  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
; c. g' A3 _2 B4 l4 g2 s: g8 q> '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
> 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?
>
0 @" {* t) ~2 r1 l> A wise man once said every society is judged by
; w! T# s& m; ?8 c( l! ^" U- H/ y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
/ j8 g7 u* l. i, U* Q> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.