Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
: P* ^" G8 y% A9 s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
( s$ q7 ^% P6 E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
4 z" b- K( Z0 ~5 ^- _/ s> same choice?
>
> 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
5 P( V* f( p+ w) g> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 P! t" Y& E  [. t, p6 X> staff, he offered a question:
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9 |6 ^& U+ {+ z3 [4 T8 l> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. d' x; h+ K7 L+ @, H> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: c5 |: K( ~, M4 i6 C4 F7 B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 W1 c: A- K6 n9 Y> treat that child.'
>
> 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
4 n- J, L0 C3 F> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 m$ f1 v$ B8 m: N$ a/ X8 d> 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.
7 |9 n4 I$ a. z>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ [$ j5 Z! |. \7 B4 f9 \  y> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
; T  A# y) k, t% V3 n4 J> 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.'
>
> 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
2 C/ H- X/ g7 y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
. ]# b0 z( a4 C3 f- q) 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
2 L- ^. K) u- B7 i* T9 n+ F8 |1 h> 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
$ F, p- ~. d# D  I# s> 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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+ |. C; t7 t& K/ g9 l" L1 E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 z# {$ h6 q% r" n+ l  A> 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,
! Y3 r1 N* q# @" A> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
# K- V& B; X1 Y1 W/ R) G" P> 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
( P. q6 T2 N& z, c- U+ O> 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
8 t: b0 c% X, T> right back to the pitcher.
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8 Z9 B/ f" h/ M: W- e> 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
, S. {% x5 g. D" g> 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
> 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,
$ N0 {8 H. U8 i/ ^8 d0 w> wide-eyed and startled.
>
* [/ z; ~: S, x6 ~" E, a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
/ b$ f; P2 e1 W0 y6 Q7 }> 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
' N! L  R, e- M0 u> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
( Z! H% h+ T6 j+ A> 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
> 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'
2 ~/ y* n% F; R) P, j$ z>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( l( c3 T# i0 S$ D. K. z3 k> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
+ [/ Q$ _/ W3 |; o0 q/ a  ]> Shay, run to third!'
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  [9 z. f* ~& {1 ]9 d> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 k% m# Q! Y! u> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. U" v  ?/ I) ?( Y. G; {> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
5 b- d2 W6 Y0 y; n& R+ q% P; R# s> game for his team.
4 m4 Z6 V! K* v>
/ F/ |# }7 H1 ?$ ]4 ]/ g6 m> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 P2 C1 L* E4 g% C> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: S( G& [; L# B9 g9 c* i> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 S( D$ E& ^: U/ o* j> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
8 H) L0 v9 e  @" B: t$ p9 ]' W7 q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
' `9 b% u2 w0 s- F; S> 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
- B. ~, c1 O( L; S4 U> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
& A% A- N% j+ G> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
- g; q0 E+ d4 z6 C( Q: Q3 Y> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, Q. T& Q9 A" B( F7 L3 [7 K4 [> 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
: E5 U9 O$ i/ ~3 s) S/ h- [> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  z+ I3 l7 N* j: t; p" s6 N8 C/ s' t> 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
2 b+ P+ K" p) |- p6 n> bit colder in the process?
. m2 {% }* z* M3 R0 J>
9 v: }. @3 r# ?> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 E7 a" d" S, R% k: G- N> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
* Q3 y2 h. S+ d) n- A" p/ E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.