Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* X% V4 }! C6 P9 K; c- i> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 D7 a' O& A, E  T4 R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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7 R3 a6 T# C% y1 R> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
9 n* m6 E2 l& d& L$ p7 k> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 `. a# k2 s  A- u  S: S4 T9 R> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% K5 T# j, k0 d$ z: ?/ [. E> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  V1 s" h& [8 a> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- E* p2 g% a$ B/ p> 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.'
>
. t9 d) D( O3 o> Then he told the following story:
>
% U9 W" F" m$ d5 T# r, l' h+ h> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
; U0 v8 X! y& t3 l9 O> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& X& l  J7 U" B7 [3 \9 P> 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,
/ O) M- e8 A, z1 k> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
/ ~) q7 ~* V: J. e> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
& @$ g+ K) W- \  c% }2 U& M- j8 @> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
. o* R1 J/ f$ G  l" r> inning.'
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0 V9 ]: ?% d; N# ]% q7 ]0 Y> 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
> 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
( d; _9 w  l( `) e> 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
" Q* l1 O, |  w& j> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
  S5 I3 F( _) Y$ k, M> next at bat.
>
> 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
! u. B# x" Q6 n3 t/ h> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
6 |6 D+ c! x1 [% P, L9 ~- c> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, H3 x- F1 o" [+ _+ B  X+ d> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
6 \7 ]. U* g! z> 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
$ q, q. Q3 g  F; u/ ~* {# o$ r3 K> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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* D; O6 N% a" _# a- P' L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 m$ \: B, W$ Y3 C! C) Z> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
2 v4 ^2 m$ o% K& L; ^; O/ ?> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
3 h( {' ~. I7 Y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  x& ^4 i3 u) a; M+ {# F> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. t: ~. n/ \) ~3 k% `& k& H> 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
> 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
1 W$ U8 |- ^. m" a' V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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& F: F% P# u7 R3 Y. D> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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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> 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
3 J5 k1 L5 y3 q3 r> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
4 ^2 U, I, P  R> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& K2 m  {4 u' ^: I7 x9 g> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( Y- ]: J7 ~# G. u2 l1 j> into this world'.
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% v" @* y3 X) ?6 `4 H> 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!
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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
9 x0 P& x3 B. I+ p* b* c> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ P$ |" |- P0 }/ W- @* ]> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 X* w7 v" c3 Q> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
: [0 R# q# U* |# B, h> '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
6 U( v( k/ ?* \! ]> 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
4 g7 Y; m. H7 |$ F! k; L$ h7 R! |) H, J/ j> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 ~8 U$ c0 b. |) G% O: [0 K+ E> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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5 Q% S9 w- |& j, F( B> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
5 M1 {; q2 [' Y* e; U> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.