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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: E0 i! c  A, `5 a> 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
- p6 ?  T! T+ J> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* u$ i) s+ J0 P> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 G5 }7 U9 s, w9 {> The audience was stilled by the query.
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/ p! Q  k0 X( n2 ^+ k> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
/ s( M# a4 U( a9 K3 x+ }" B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( `; s: ~- [; H' D( V0 P4 B> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
8 {* ]) ~7 a' ?, @8 k7 D5 F> 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
+ j1 c% z9 U6 I5 J. y6 a2 z$ Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 ^$ a: `# i' J  t: A4 `> 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 d5 I  ^" K6 Y! c0 H' \& j> 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
7 q  T9 d5 u, z& k, G! J> 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
4 ^& e+ W$ K. b0 ?( Z( j9 z* N( E> inning.'
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- U8 b8 w; w7 W. n- W> 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
; m# P! ^* g( ?% M( `- y> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
4 @* O8 Y" D( L> 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
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' E( ]2 {0 W- N- G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) [& b; M4 d1 L) I> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
0 ]1 {' h& Y4 ?0 S* Z: L" Z> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" g% J  G! E, i$ ?* u% F$ Z  _: V" e> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
. V. Y4 E- D) G, A  y4 i% b/ ~> 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.
# t" F/ G: X  h+ v9 B' X" C! d  ~> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* J5 J) z* z* T9 }% G> 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
& t' t1 t) X5 e( Y6 _> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
9 _* _  X/ ~- C4 \> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 W, l/ j7 m4 l; `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
1 T7 h4 Q  P% u" G! m> 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
" w2 j! g  ^5 i% F5 j$ K> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
9 z! q9 ^6 W! a+ g  R4 B' ]> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
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2 ?5 s9 b2 V) @- d* ]$ H( o> '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
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+ z! s( `/ [- }+ z# h  {: l2 ^$ l> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 L  B. v0 k) L! A8 k> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; [# e. l8 r, [" o9 \% {> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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" j1 N- w5 {5 v  e% [. \$ m> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
8 s2 A/ `% W9 \> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- L/ j, R- x% a  _> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
: D0 d+ X: S% a1 F% p6 ~3 I> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 f( c" h, `! q3 L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
3 ~$ ~4 i7 x- U# L# H: b9 Q& t4 u> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
# U3 t' ^2 ^4 c0 l" \# }4 B> 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
- H7 }5 S8 P. G5 h1 S% ]0 l> 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
$ p) N0 x4 ^% W% y1 u% U) q> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
0 Q; z8 ]. S# [0 d! w> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
! }3 Y) z& q* _> You now have two choices:
) R! ?3 E# c$ ?  g3 T> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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, @& {! Q& I0 W% _> May your day, be a Shay Day.