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
, m! S& T& F2 ]& M0 `9 `5 z> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  R) H: v' O7 x+ I! @% c> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, @7 j( U  n: E. V* F6 t> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
/ m" p) n; w0 }8 I& O3 G+ @> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; I; E5 E# p0 {2 l- d5 Y( }( z: s> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 @7 A# n; d3 E- B; t> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
. T9 Z5 k. S$ [9 ~% Y4 c> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 K; o5 n$ A# _> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 T0 L9 }/ L$ ?; z( R9 c: N3 K> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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- B  C4 v- @; B+ W: F9 m> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
, ^  s7 Y3 z2 {4 b) n8 k> 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.
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( c$ ?; X. }; w4 d/ W> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  P- \7 I- x. n5 }8 M- G+ C( t> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
! L5 `% k4 R' g4 ?% V7 [& c2 L> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  e) g: k) _" l> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
. A* [" \3 @: P> 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
) l% ^" N/ Z0 d) t# n$ h2 A$ p6 @1 S> 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
% Y: ?* E9 R$ m% J/ R> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: s- @3 {  L5 y3 ]0 x> 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
. P9 I  Z/ }# ?9 K% p, M> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 Y- {8 u" A3 z> next at bat.
>
, w1 L( u) N8 a. V> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 k) M6 r+ q, G* k- R3 T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
3 M2 o% G( F" T& J$ ^> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
& D9 F# w8 `, d( d7 |> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 _6 p7 \. C2 L5 J; v, [  u* E> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
3 ^! V: L7 H  m  q! e) ^> 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
* V3 G! T9 ]! w. K8 x9 c9 @> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% B1 i' T' _) F2 H/ ]> 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,
$ U* {& h, }. @: P. U- m  O: X' q9 ]0 A> 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
; L" F7 X6 L6 E6 J# @3 _0 V> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
& ^9 o9 p$ i4 I  u" x> 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
1 K, K& n2 D# P1 {0 K, o> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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( V! g( j  |7 S6 ~> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ y2 K0 `. I  U, ~> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 ^: u4 E1 @3 v8 s* [> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ T8 x3 V6 l/ n; Y, w: x; ?: R> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
9 m* R* d/ o$ H" T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) I9 g) X7 W' e) W( m> game for his team.
>
& H: ?$ U; I$ E> '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'.
>
9 J- ?* _/ v- l1 _) }, }> 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
; X9 w) g7 R6 y) n1 T2 t6 E> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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3 U$ @+ v, P1 T) x6 @7 J6 B: @) T> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
, I% ?5 V9 T) ?) U5 o& q> 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
9 @$ h7 _$ ^$ W$ D> 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
> 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
9 i* X. g7 J, c' `/ z: L> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
) m9 s, K0 ^4 n4 a  A9 T> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ r* B% d( I; l8 s1 b9 I> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
8 u1 ]0 W7 z5 x# n3 R0 d0 c> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
1 r8 C. H% j6 s. P+ T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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7 M" l; \% W0 T> May your day, be a Shay Day.