Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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, y; E: `$ m) o" Y$ U6 j2 P# @" l> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
. I0 ]$ K: G; e* B" _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
$ z- M5 W, [' T4 a0 K> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
7 `% L1 H, v( O) x7 ~> 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
6 @/ S9 e1 }9 u; U9 D2 D+ s4 [> natural order of things in my son?'
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  {1 }* I+ C9 g> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
: ~5 v: I* t: H) `! n4 l> 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
9 l7 o' s2 C! ?, S# C> 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
> 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,
7 E4 r% A& W4 e> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 f. S0 i/ w9 h! t% l3 `( D, j8 K> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 j7 B7 |0 q$ v9 ?% g+ e> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" f, V8 w6 S* a$ g( }3 o' Q3 l/ \> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
- w" x1 A3 z/ d> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- Z: L. o' _4 x/ K  r3 u> 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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+ _! _" S* c: S+ X> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% K! N. R6 T5 }2 M6 d/ Z> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
3 n% R/ W$ Z; t7 k7 E5 o> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" d' w1 d9 y  w5 @5 h3 q3 P, q> 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
( c/ e* `* |: t  h" I+ a$ Y8 j  v1 C> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
% X* d* U  b4 V, X# P> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
) J3 Y. E% X' w6 A2 {> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
8 {: Q+ d- u$ J5 B# u! ~> 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
8 t0 Z7 q- |# _6 J: Q' s2 B> next at bat.
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> 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
! P! l$ R& Q( o8 g! s- a> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
: h7 k1 m5 y+ p2 O1 V> much less connect with the ball.
# n1 Q2 ^3 a2 D3 P> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; [8 P3 k5 Y* X$ ^  E/ h> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
$ R4 o  y; i+ X1 o8 f, W> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
- x) z3 f6 @* ~$ C- j> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
3 H2 m" ]' r* Q& m+ B> right back to the pitcher.
>
& L. B8 l/ F( _1 s! ~> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
- @' T/ H$ U1 M* U> 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.
>
> 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
3 U% y+ _# K. x; V. Q- m8 v> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
5 w6 S% B; [, E* X8 i: \7 Y> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
; E7 O8 U* Z2 i6 w> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( b0 O. f8 b' c' z; 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
> 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,
- Y, f9 L) @: r. [> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! C! z8 I9 j8 C( z! M9 d> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* A  k/ \3 c1 O* F; d  j" z! I> 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!
5 v' t# B3 g8 s. @1 g> Shay, run to third!'
>
& o" S1 o- x# `% o+ [) B> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 x) z( B$ V  X> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& ~) d  c1 y) ~> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ ^1 P1 t8 m0 f4 R> 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!
>
> 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
+ A6 [7 v. a! H! l. @7 m9 Q> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 j: J) A! {, Z8 ]> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
7 V% Y! P" k2 Z* F* Y; R8 P> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
* {# j1 P; |, F& g/ D7 J> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ ]5 x! m/ Q5 d> 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
& x/ n0 W  K) C, n* ?4 o> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
1 ^+ N+ g! W; n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' K0 o, @- E1 C. V4 i: D) I. c, r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
( s4 c: _3 k8 E/ R( X> You now have two choices:
/ D. I( @7 }" \0 S' V> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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' c% y( E* a# Q! V> May your day, be a Shay Day.