Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 E' @& Z( D9 X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ R* _& q5 e. {! {, x> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 x6 I9 Y' b1 S$ t- y$ 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
0 `; P8 ^: b/ H/ Y  n, `1 m- A> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 h: ?2 ]& E" j' D2 f- q$ m. I> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
. Z- H5 E. {, ]& x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 |/ `' R) w! l% v+ c  G> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
, D% J% X3 f( x7 D  j  S# c" R+ t> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ u% u  f. l: z0 ?; d: l* E: v# a> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
' `2 J) Y& q- g) S2 z% S+ N> treat that child.'
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> 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
> 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
9 J% L8 k: `: d0 N8 p: H> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
! X, M6 G( ~5 W0 W  B. r> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
6 H# W( k. ?4 C: C6 x- L> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
) H8 [, P1 N7 a> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* F9 b8 E0 {1 j+ z* H> 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
( h1 f6 N) \! F$ Q, m% A> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
3 t+ @  l; H1 D1 c. ~> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* y; P" [* ]! C3 O! O0 Y( M9 o# W> 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
$ K' J. t) S) `' t$ |> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; H# a7 ]2 p2 x7 H> 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
/ d6 E* @! w+ y$ |; ?5 D! H4 l2 E( z> 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,
8 a/ ]6 [6 E/ x$ ?6 }! H% q6 u> 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
( R! h9 C$ u) b4 G7 @1 K# _# Y& }* `> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; ~$ Z6 ~) D# L* U> 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.
; ?* C( p3 W* o4 y! ^% N/ D> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 G( |$ N, E' S9 {6 ]> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 h8 Y# D2 E9 v8 T/ H$ [1 y> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% @$ ^; Z& p# v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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" ~; _* d- M) M% I, U> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
' ^: O: [4 I4 Z' \! {, k, B> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 S' N6 M, L6 P' A> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
8 `8 a. m# R  _% `8 H* E5 B0 e3 l> 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
3 M/ o! i% l) [" ?% u' W> 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
( ?' ~5 I# a$ R& w3 m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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" h5 A% b1 U( x7 o> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' c& d! n; R  b* G( g0 A> 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
# d; d/ F8 g5 Q1 S  @> 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
* d% Q$ F- N* i> game for his team.
>
- o5 _2 j, g9 ?6 p) g4 e7 w> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: b5 g) r3 \# y7 a; [> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 ]# `" t( o% Q- `  ?" u* h> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 @  n7 s+ \; ]' A4 I6 v> 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
+ W) L5 ^% D- j> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 X$ [2 @3 f! U; }> 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.
>
0 q1 M  l6 A/ H! X6 X> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ ?/ T0 i" H" W& N. i* s& A7 \> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
* }: R0 O+ v- B7 ^: |  R> '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
, J, K2 l7 o) V9 i> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& b, u4 v1 F4 _* ~( Q  _; @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
9 |3 y* O2 l9 M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 @7 `5 \" a4 Z# |/ R> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
# P5 e1 _( F- H. p3 n# B5 o$ l" w> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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1 N- R1 C* t/ b" Y; @4 w, [# k2 Q> May your day, be a Shay Day.