Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% @8 D. R6 u9 e" y> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
8 _5 b! \2 J( [8 |' r$ F> same choice?
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> 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:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* ?8 Z, n0 m$ H8 z- }4 n> 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
5 z- p- r1 v9 |. \> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
8 `3 y: x) k7 m8 G, u) K4 Y/ ^& z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: L+ w: f" L/ C, I> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
4 `8 v- m' u( _) c( ?/ K* u> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
4 h. L. N" y" R1 P, H, `8 e* a> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
% k# M1 _# C5 B3 m> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
; F- x' q  [- H/ X) H: B5 x> 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
4 y( Z' |4 r+ V8 ?, e) t, _> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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- U% b& K  k# N- V0 l3 x8 q> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
& w+ x) T2 u  n6 H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
8 t  O# K* _9 u) a5 X> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 N+ y3 @1 y) u, a> 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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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
2 D3 Z4 L' J" f  d> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
+ b0 }) \9 E* e4 c> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 k! u2 W3 h! V6 C> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
! P7 L3 ]3 R, ^3 }> 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
# J9 c5 _) n% |: m6 O* p> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 k/ F2 F4 H8 u8 c) Q' Q8 F" q7 m> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) Z- B1 G- u$ O6 z3 C6 i! l> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ x1 D9 O0 u. {$ M  L2 G8 [: c> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
* y- s5 a4 W. s! R+ t$ f4 F7 a> 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
$ t4 l9 t$ {4 n1 R: x> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
6 J. L; j* o2 L- k' A/ y# Q> 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.
# J2 g& X4 }: U6 Q6 h& M> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 i5 i/ v7 ^1 f* e1 }/ U> right back to the pitcher.
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, a0 z, Z* V( i+ ~+ `; k( J" Z> 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
. c3 c' p4 g8 s) O/ p1 S' G1 q7 F> 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
" d2 X2 U) Y4 `6 E> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
/ d. q$ s/ N% W# R> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
8 ~% m* j" i& ^" p* b> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> 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
4 h7 f9 n* j* D% j. {! F> 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,
5 r8 U  ]" H1 b0 y2 y> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
  r9 O$ O9 m% V) B* @3 i> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
  z" H5 F* x3 ?; ]) H9 d; R> 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 h5 P7 y" V5 N* D> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
, H0 V5 F# A4 \2 d" T> Shay, run to third!'
>
: R0 v/ j7 M9 j+ r> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> 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
- G! I# S4 T! h> game for his team.
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> '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
, S5 J: g) B# t> into this world'.
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" A: l, B- n, j% @. c, F> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
7 h9 I7 r9 n! G7 I  y> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, x% Z9 [1 }, w+ X" \> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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3 {; i- Z! }. D" z3 Q, ^4 Z) d> 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
> 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
4 O3 Y8 f, v" t0 \- _) ?1 w1 e1 Z> 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
* U, J; p: y, ~: f/ u> bit colder in the process?
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8 D: [9 ^9 z& T: Q3 {7 o$ O. |& r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 E$ V0 q$ z; w$ G0 g$ x> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
" }/ C5 H& H: B3 d; h6 e> 2. Forward
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# l* e. k% u& w; U( a> May your day, be a Shay Day.