Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
" \9 ]8 W! X$ Y( y" W> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
3 y# y/ l8 J' j# ~1 ^7 h& R' T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> 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
! k/ Z9 U4 r4 P) G- {$ }6 u> 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
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
: D- a$ O) ^- W> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
: t1 S& l/ d  z- M, u+ D> natural order of things in my son?'
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; ~: @5 E/ z6 u  G3 A; B> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 G! n4 P; @: x! N0 f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
6 \" a/ d: g  i* G3 {3 F, t" u5 S' D> treat that child.'
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& v. `: L3 W3 }* M" N> Then he told the following story:
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- x) S# k. I% G5 Z> 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
9 L# y  ]5 ]. q$ ]; `2 S> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
; Q' m7 @3 u% E4 A1 y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. s' Y6 ~) E% A5 e> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
- R- C9 q, S3 I7 k> 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
" b6 E9 S6 y6 ^- I" S6 k, c> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
# \7 j. s+ ~; [  O/ M$ S> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& H2 u; W/ g7 g  @> 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
/ j) V8 m) \9 h* O. E: t) A0 a> 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
0 s# B  G+ c1 y5 \8 L( _4 N> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> 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
. t+ V: K3 t0 S' `> 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
$ z% F8 }6 y/ G: x* Q; k3 Q6 s> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 I# v6 }8 `* d$ S, N> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
1 i3 U8 c5 P2 E  c3 g. {> 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
! U2 |* P- h* G' R> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
' o6 E8 ]1 P* N1 k9 g> 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,
. [, ]" z6 ]4 u, W/ g7 F! k> wide-eyed and startled.
>
# y% l0 X- D2 x9 G: u/ {> 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
( I* l  C2 p" z9 e: e6 S6 B> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 G5 s5 E- J9 O  u- e6 o1 H" `: W> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 Y2 F5 n$ @) ~( @> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
2 m, ^1 v, L: R3 m  {. R4 Z> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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; {7 V6 r( W. ^; E* H+ ^2 W> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 W8 v/ Z) ?$ _: C  y% }> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
) \: E' z8 p+ u/ u0 v& D> Shay, run to third!'
>
# |' e6 T# m# W6 T6 y7 ?> 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
& d7 o. I" h% y8 ~+ z$ v/ |> 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
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 \  E  I" O& n; M$ j, Z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
, g* C' R# c7 f4 M6 R# e/ G. Q> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ ?& E2 p) n9 h6 C( `1 O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
/ ?4 C. r+ G& N, |" R) D3 f> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
0 e+ O  J6 q2 k. C/ P) S> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& E) K: s5 j: D( ^& V$ Z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
% g! r9 |/ I1 l. Z> 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
. \9 O) l; B7 T1 p8 t# w> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
0 [; r2 D; m/ H1 A! r& `> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
6 r7 E8 g9 q+ J4 e> You now have two choices:
4 G- R4 t) e" G) B> 1. Delete
4 q8 ?) ?( {6 u> 2. Forward
>
% l6 S. e( w6 b$ w1 T$ Q. B. h> May your day, be a Shay Day.