Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
* U, y* v# \+ M> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% l3 S  v* m2 L  `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
! }# W! T  |% H2 E! E> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
+ Y8 A# o4 C; w- i9 t6 C/ Z> 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
, X3 M! D9 ^, A$ N' J0 t, z> staff, he offered a question:
>
  q4 L/ d. w) l' n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 O" n2 a, x- @" e4 ]7 O/ e" v> 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
4 q( [- J! K! O" t7 W. i: V> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
* c" e7 i3 ]1 \# `5 ^> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ E1 A4 x2 ]+ k; ^5 h1 ?> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
& q4 ?, b( E% f/ S2 e>
> Then he told the following story:
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& I: }) @! V7 C( X& m> 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,
% \1 u: u4 ?! w- \0 n  K> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. v7 j( \# ?- W  `9 |( t) e> 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
7 E) S) Q. I' H1 c> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 m! Y  b' c! R0 N% S# V: m> inning.'
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" V5 n" J) @+ s9 g4 [( _  H$ _> 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
+ y, {# L8 u8 l$ `# ?* Z1 M> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. Z& z$ K# q/ d> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 T4 ^  m, V/ V6 C8 u3 ]> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
! L; `8 I3 t$ @> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 O6 s- t& s" w> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
/ o/ x/ R( x6 P* L> 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
* W) R* P* Z, x* [2 G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* q8 P9 a. b+ x3 |> next at bat.
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  ^! n  \+ `3 M& k> 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
% O, O$ |# T# z> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
5 G4 Q  V/ W8 I% z/ {# _. q> 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
> 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
+ O  t# B1 a) j> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
* C# ]  |/ S6 v- a' U( _  `> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
, f" A. y' O0 }) e! q> 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
! y: P- d9 C( \$ f, X6 d: ]> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
* `  S" G/ ~9 N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
. a. l5 G; F0 w8 |9 K> 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
> 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
% d6 u$ D. Q9 g2 ~8 R> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 {6 S5 b( c& `$ D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
; I% s2 L5 i' Y- J0 I>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  r5 X4 b9 B* u$ h5 v> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 l: s3 d1 A/ b) {' ?# w> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 E9 U  l+ d% M% a  T8 a> 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'.
0 K, C' c: t$ ^- N' D4 f>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; N* D- b- T$ }4 [- @4 i4 E+ P> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
$ a6 j: Y, C3 t7 w5 |' }> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
# |- L$ e9 M  u. A: Z' b. `; s> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
8 [. g+ N2 E1 u4 j3 v% v: k: g' y  A> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' p6 |7 c8 G5 k* W. s0 A1 p> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
9 C: \# U! J/ C& h# C  c' n# M>
' }& W7 b0 x* O, L  c4 M8 j, Q& d, V- K> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.