Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 f2 e& V  w' z0 o1 X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! q2 J! z! Q/ t% i: s0 f) t5 H> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
! J+ \, G2 s' F* V  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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 f- F: [  X" C- ~3 g, F( \. R6 l> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
3 K3 F- u  u# W/ D> The audience was stilled by the query.
" j0 a5 K3 {! C9 d>
& U+ V/ N9 I$ v> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
2 t  Q5 F; ^! {7 H> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
* {, ~7 j% p8 v$ y3 V- w, T> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ Q+ W2 p0 j' R5 R3 J> 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 f  L& A1 A# @7 @- u, W5 P> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
$ g+ L# U* C+ a$ `! n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 N8 v& _5 \# o$ u# `' e! i+ c> 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
) Q5 E( g' v, k/ W> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) Y/ b" R- P" I" O/ ^4 Y% o> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
5 s0 w" N$ Y1 z; }) ^> 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
) K0 I. S9 R, y% `, u; Q- i  J> 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
" d8 V% ~* s: J) o, f7 y: _4 T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
2 e2 n5 [8 M$ B3 Y0 v> 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
2 |: C3 V$ x+ E9 u* j% N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
3 ?; }4 Z- a# S5 J>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ S2 {* @: i; ?8 E> 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.
( ^& E: m5 ^, h2 N( h> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& \- Q7 G$ n6 A3 s> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
( u( n; ~  z6 d0 x$ Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, H2 w6 _+ m  h  D1 u) [$ V> 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.
4 c5 w0 z/ }0 [& v* I> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
. q( [$ {' a; Q: R2 \> right back to the pitcher.
9 {$ [: i9 }; [# B( J  P/ N>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
, i- p- u  \( ?3 Z& L> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
% ~# \( l8 ~5 ^2 t. t5 z  F9 w  l> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
5 S- j! T4 u) g5 w- N> 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
; X& T8 c  N$ f/ ]% r7 x- K> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
0 O3 r  B4 r& n( u5 e  k>
2 z( i2 ?0 N) W& A8 {& U8 ^4 O> 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
+ \0 d* N5 |. g: U' H$ @, q) m> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
* m* f( f8 |  s3 P8 c> 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
+ x# o  \! y+ M7 r> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
, S; n* ]- s- d" W" N3 N>
. ]1 d2 d' |* [> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ s% i+ C$ z. F* D% k" ~>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' |$ n5 l0 C% M1 X6 h1 v> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
* L4 z0 a$ |+ z% `6 O3 B> game for his team.
0 L5 P3 T# t' c( U>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! L+ O: r; n$ Y' W% x8 F" P> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
9 S8 H# E& E: P! b9 }1 C> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 `! |' W5 J% [> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
3 @9 h  i4 E2 Y- Z# G4 B> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
/ y; X3 ]; D5 B* k' f  N>
> 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
% A( S2 x. R1 K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
- s/ V! N* _2 W% P* e> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
' x" M. C1 \, f, p>
> 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
, g9 @) \0 M# G2 K> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" e2 O4 L9 r+ u& K8 m4 c0 b> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ b* z6 J6 V: R  s> 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
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 B5 k1 m( R3 d( H; W; I> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
$ s- m7 l3 L& k% ^: N>
) @( m0 i  A$ X; q, C1 j> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
4 z/ Q7 ~. `7 P% V. v/ o>
8 s; d& ?; w! ]8 Y; R  R> May your day, be a Shay Day.