Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 S" k7 R4 {% h% p* C> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 i5 U, o5 R2 a3 B" Z% y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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9 A- m5 C. K( Y$ _0 _; u> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 ~* H* K( k* b& |( e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 e" _0 l/ Z: E: s> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
; t& Z/ v- c" J) p' G8 H4 m4 W) e> natural order of things in my son?'
# X3 [9 y$ x* U" A9 _2 o6 z, R) A& T>
2 C' q' v& H. W! ?> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 D! f6 X6 h' E1 Y8 z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
  h% l; t" y; t% ?8 H> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! T( n  j7 ^# D- v> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
- f0 F+ a$ k( y/ c3 k. o7 A>
* u7 q+ {# @2 d# e2 B> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
2 `, k$ {5 A* M' |& p. K> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 J/ n' w/ x7 b> 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
* _- A5 y1 M) B, Q! x> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 e) D9 H2 x9 q> inning.'
8 `+ h# [, G9 {1 p>
> 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
# e  ]6 e) U: j> 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
$ F. [4 P& }: ?5 O> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
9 j" J& q4 [- a/ H' q* r* X  u> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
: F6 b4 A2 [- z9 ~6 z; X> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 C* q* p9 g1 Q+ ~! x6 Q, A> 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,
/ \! e; u1 W/ Q4 d0 _6 v7 `1 e, Z> much less connect with the ball.
- [0 Y9 k9 J" `  J# {/ j8 z> 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
" _0 w. D$ V) g5 [5 k8 M> 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.
3 m7 ^: p$ n9 n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. r9 V& _% s# z9 y; P0 T> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
5 t1 |  m) P, }+ ^, @7 C7 U> 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
$ y8 `; U; E% }2 i- H8 q> 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
0 Z" X* `& f5 H. j1 Y: A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# o; H& M; d' H- t$ ?) B+ S& @> wide-eyed and startled.
  ?( i3 W/ D2 M1 N: X>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
& O& _1 _! R& U" q/ ~, y0 ^% p, b0 f  G> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 Z6 e0 n/ e" n4 `, n7 ~9 }> 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
% U6 u: ]+ W* k# w> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: J4 H0 l+ P: \9 H- `* ?0 t( }> circled the bases toward home.
7 ~/ r- }) I) a2 {; x+ \4 |>
# L+ F$ o5 C% {, u+ w) H> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
* i# |  t3 P/ o4 v> 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!
9 e* c( q/ i; g1 A0 A$ ^, a> Shay, run to third!'
/ D; ]: V$ q7 h- @) E>
4 q- \3 s5 }4 M> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
5 Y8 @# e( S; Q8 P  c& l> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
& |$ \' k0 G* T3 r3 q> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( B4 L+ r' S! n& |! s& |> game for his team.
# x! k% k/ Z! I; l- s+ D6 y>
> '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
. P* R- K# `! Z7 e! z> into this world'.
* Q, O  y. }1 a( F. T>
( v4 P' d9 b7 j  ]/ ?, i> 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
7 o; s$ a. D; f5 G6 x> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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9 T& b8 O& F0 b+ H> 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
5 d! U, J6 R( a. F> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, g7 o3 L6 Z  v/ w. d> 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
  H' p7 l: L* K2 P" n. A> 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
' o; k; `' ^9 H& J3 i3 r> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
. W7 h& u, s7 j; m3 G9 ^> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
( g: K* B, U2 w% g- W1 C* i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
+ X1 ^8 }8 w6 O2 X- F) W9 X7 [> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 `6 m4 ~$ d9 o& n/ g1 J> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
1 v+ M$ l3 I, E( |6 D7 S  h> You now have two choices:
$ m* n* n& |7 v5 Q2 U; n! t0 X> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
* n: V' j( |5 R0 @> May your day, be a Shay Day.