Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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3 g; p+ q( A$ p- `& W> 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?
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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
% z- c' o, w. O1 i% x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% e( u4 U" M! j1 \> 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
6 a9 Q* [, v) m4 c- r) u2 w> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! a, `! V2 V$ ~8 V: {% E> natural order of things in my son?'
>
  {! a( o' ?+ I5 _3 ?& c: v> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
/ P/ |& m; ^# i; K' u> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
1 [. {/ O. b# @8 r$ D3 I> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 x  W* Q* w+ ^7 ^7 o> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 [" M0 x7 B. _, K9 }. f> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
( q  J/ S% L. _, g& K5 B; 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 a! ]3 `* S; T# v0 N- \> 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
> 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
; \  T% Q4 _9 j9 Z: T, P" W> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
  f2 A9 O$ m8 M) t: P> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
2 M3 l$ B( j- R' k7 W# A/ w% _4 J> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) {4 @% o6 ]: y$ f& Y1 D0 b. ?: G4 G> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
  L* e, R3 e5 O/ c# S  }> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
' G) `* g6 [, {> 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
4 p6 j, U1 D+ d/ y> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
2 B/ m! G1 v2 t> next at bat.
>
& U  D' F/ j. m> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
) X! ^+ [9 J3 w/ u5 f0 p! w> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
* ~: x0 b9 \1 h: ?: p( |> 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
) p4 Y8 y0 @- [* \2 e& Q> 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
  F+ d% k& q  B1 D> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
3 ]# U  s. v1 l2 H6 p+ f> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
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; o9 I" y! V( E8 n8 D' ?> 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
; p$ w# V# n6 e. |2 A6 j- b> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
( G, @8 v' k2 |1 I6 H> 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
. @; C7 \! @* {3 L8 O6 K> 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,
. S; n" Z8 d. ^& Z1 A6 a7 S+ c> 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.
>
2 o. W2 U+ c/ C6 `7 E$ z& Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
3 `8 \' s' A" S: n* W> 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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$ S& g7 y5 _5 U/ Z) h/ F. x/ C> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; Q/ p  n7 d, P# i8 x  A3 [( _> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ Q3 ^, K6 v6 ]$ E. j> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
8 T0 t" e4 u8 X! D> game for his team.
>
% Y! _; k" S* ^( J7 A" \> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
1 u; o7 o6 p" O> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
( J+ A6 s4 |" v1 Y" Z4 V/ e> into this world'.
>
3 [% G9 k" M2 X- j> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> 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!
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, o7 f4 q/ O5 l" ^5 |: A( z> 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
$ g) B& C% U# O' {3 E9 A) d> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 n8 a0 `; \3 x% y3 l7 o0 @7 l> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
0 _$ ^4 D2 n- i> '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
4 L* w- Q, f' _1 q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" y) @' |0 o( D) s$ b+ M0 x> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# j  |' S. N! g* f0 f+ g6 B> 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
# m* B3 F1 y8 A. e7 E4 Z7 m> bit colder in the process?
>
7 Q+ i+ p6 V* [. O8 m+ m+ x9 D2 u> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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4 r& ]1 W, e* ]0 v  m2 i/ M> You now have two choices:
. W" x& {) O' N& J! M6 O> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.