Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
5 o( k) R& B5 K0 g) W> same choice?
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) m, l9 n5 P0 z) C) Y! X9 W4 H> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
/ F" l  _' X# T' A5 F1 E2 h$ x8 h> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
: j! G- k. a3 Z' g. z> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
- @( a0 z5 h" {6 _# B/ M. d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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.'
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. K5 A. \2 O5 ^> Then he told the following story:
>
  ^; G7 ?( U" ?9 T* W0 W> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  Y$ A# o: `" F7 d& p( |+ `" u9 s> 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,
> 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
% j$ l/ c; a" ?$ ^' l$ v> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
2 @  A2 C7 V: M6 Q# P> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 {8 F: Y7 t/ T8 \) S> inning.'
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0 ~( z4 i! e5 S/ S> 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
9 Q% g8 y! _7 n2 p3 k> 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
$ t; L+ V8 E3 I  Z5 h6 k& p' P  m> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
" E4 R8 V& t' b  D/ M' g+ N> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 Z' ^* `7 q  v  i  A> 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
+ m- ?6 X) a0 j( D6 ~+ \> next at bat.
>
; P0 l% d3 b9 o* c8 h6 ~> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
& b" }; x: O2 u9 c' c# s9 T* |> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 a* \7 y8 P, Z- Q8 X  B1 m$ x( l* X> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 E7 v% U& j- F* D" A> much less connect with the ball.
" E5 Y  s5 `& R: I> 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
2 u* ^8 G* V9 ]9 J+ C  o> 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.
>
4 `+ \. b& k* S  h/ N> 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
, Z5 k/ x1 V: _' h1 T- _5 c8 r> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
4 r2 ]6 P: K* E% |4 s' w6 O> 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
& E6 W7 m4 h2 I: M> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 Y- [5 s* y( J+ z* [) R6 Z> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
/ m% r4 w/ s: F  O2 e1 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
: \+ w( t' ?# Z; |4 o9 W- x> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 H  s9 ]8 \) z+ V2 D> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
9 U9 k! C+ K) l' M/ ?4 Z$ Z> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( i+ ]5 M2 C% j( W. _# E. T> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
$ \6 l! O2 s9 K$ K> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ T' l4 R7 D+ j/ h% A0 i, b) `> 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
( w  v& Z" E: V  K7 A; o> game for his team.
>
, M) r! W6 c  B, I& T. F  U> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 w, h, s! R9 h- J/ @> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( V3 ?& D5 ~% h3 ]) m  |( `0 G: ]% ~> into this world'.
>
1 o0 ?% n6 N  T, k> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
6 P+ l$ h" G7 D- V0 ~> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ j3 i- a# s" Z2 M; a) v5 H> 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
; E8 J! f- P, Z! [" `) {# y> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 f2 T8 v2 {( i> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
# a& K' i9 K0 U> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
& O7 L2 ~4 k, ]> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
' d" d9 B" ~/ a& h> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" R1 b: n. b7 i) g6 R& I. l+ o> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' p9 N5 w/ R! }$ r> 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
" E$ |! C# z/ q! S$ S> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 c3 w' u0 _% P, \7 `5 w% ?> You now have two choices:
/ o+ }) ~- a0 Y! n: y+ {& ~> 1. Delete
$ {1 m" X8 }7 i! a; B7 @> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.