Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
4 }# Z* e8 k& f> same choice?
>
9 `; C7 a# }/ Y  o5 z$ {4 W* `> 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:
$ W( m3 }) o3 G  e1 C9 `>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 y7 T$ g, g$ ^. F: Z$ ~> 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
, l. _3 R2 F5 f) t* ?> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
2 l, F; S' \* Y! ^5 z> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 h. q) U" Y+ L3 M> treat that child.'
% j" w8 A, ~. P5 z2 i& E>
( h& @& s, @4 l) }" x; S> Then he told the following story:
>
6 x) e; f9 N! e4 @* a- Z1 c8 o0 ^> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) E; o% t2 i2 n) v7 j: u# U> 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,
' d; f$ b9 {: g7 f, m  K- ?> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
/ w% a! o/ c2 v% {# _> 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
  w- M. B+ P5 d( 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
8 k3 t* T9 T& B9 B2 r) V> inning.'
>
& A& H/ _' x6 h4 v, J> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
  {1 g  p2 u2 y1 l6 U) h7 r> 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
) k' c6 Y' W. @: H% ?7 X> 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
7 B) ~+ S6 O0 J0 v* o: j3 k: F! D> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
: x, v4 i' N2 W* O  h3 [4 O& y* }4 Y% @> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
* a5 {# @% |# O% q, K> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 D6 u$ P. [  d3 B> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* [* J% ~6 [' U) g9 j> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
# ]7 w6 p5 D6 X0 P> much less connect with the ball.
: `+ m# [# }: b4 r> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 k. y5 T$ ~" [* ^, S1 g2 F> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
9 l7 w" ]% T* E> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; n# c6 e: B% I0 \' v> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
8 G. I% B' ?' a0 n! V) F> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
, C9 x7 t9 z( F- \+ O> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
! [' Q! p( ]" f3 q9 V> 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
4 m& W5 g+ h' x3 S# g  S4 |> 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
+ y2 b; S: `  d> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 V$ u/ }7 ^$ l> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
2 d$ [. k3 \4 v> wide-eyed and startled.
1 [5 {5 ^5 X) D$ r& T8 g>
) o) r, }! {, _' s> 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
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" q, s0 p5 s/ [# x> 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
1 i( \3 z, T' S8 n6 X> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
/ v* u! ^7 u1 k3 l> circled the bases toward home.
7 |  l  U9 ?; @>
# x2 d# T5 B: E+ s7 C$ c) ~4 N/ l> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
/ s- g  g3 @4 l>
( k0 `4 Z2 f$ Z# t  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!
7 ]1 O2 O9 C/ W" d> Shay, run to third!'
% [) P; Q  H) T- j. q>
> 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
. V3 d2 D* d) Z0 Q5 F> 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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7 r( M& F" h/ W) \) l0 F" i8 q> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 V$ r6 ~( r1 `& O" `- F7 ?> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
& ]( ~( H- @" R: Q. K> into this world'.
+ N0 Z) R; G; y8 l, D1 @>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) s7 U6 ]) Z8 c' ?8 l> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
6 k# [+ r1 e; E> 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
) z4 P) j3 b6 }8 I3 `> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
* ~: ?6 ^9 \% F1 A# ?>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' S5 }- D1 v, E+ B0 P8 M6 k> 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
$ B$ ]& f4 e0 `$ v" K> 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
4 s" K1 U2 _0 H. n; G> 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
5 ^8 \! D0 ^( @> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
6 p: N; s; b' h. }> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, Z( Z% w$ }  M6 Y6 |/ K% k> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& f/ x; w- [5 Z- q: w! A> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
1 U3 y8 j2 `; n# ?+ w) Z( w/ L4 p6 w> 2. Forward
1 m- i7 n, Z& D% G5 S>
# r0 m: r) s# D  O0 J$ z. i/ e> May your day, be a Shay Day.