Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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/ _/ ~$ i0 y. H, x3 s( U& l: m> 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
9 o6 W, v* ~4 s2 ?* k7 u; @5 l> same choice?
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- _, M- k' K7 x# U. ~) I2 |> 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
9 ]3 v( a( V( D- E* y- k7 U' d> 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
+ h8 o2 }# h3 W' \> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 Z1 K; ?$ \1 e6 O; Q4 w; }/ x% X> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' h9 u: k) y, Z' x> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
9 {! Q( r, x9 p> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: N6 I. z9 v5 @! z> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
% v3 Z& l% p, B> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' c0 n* B# T3 D! C> 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
# `7 j8 E$ a: y  @3 _) ~> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
2 X2 ^9 c" ?' X) D/ b* P  o> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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& e/ a9 F: h0 X( p% A> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 q' k* N1 y* z9 f; w" U> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
/ o; J3 e) W! J$ W> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
7 A: r7 g0 T5 n. H- W> 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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1 y% j3 a  }. K; `1 J1 z8 N, X& r/ W/ T> 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
> 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
7 i9 _! q2 G( v* N> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> 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
> 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
) m% F& ?4 G( U% U6 V' U- P> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
5 R' D- I1 P1 X. g) O8 V) P/ V> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
& K. f9 S! f6 [. ~0 Q; s' g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
8 a- a; w: \1 t: X, R1 K> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
" q% ?9 m! F& `0 [3 S2 L$ \> 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
- U/ V4 T1 N' Q4 R+ I> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
$ D8 Y6 J$ u4 Y1 c1 [# O> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
, T4 G% j: I: L> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 C/ B$ L* N# Y. }1 E/ K* u3 @> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
( @2 S' _) o1 u2 b; g" l> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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, ~3 w3 U# ]( _! E  }8 e> 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
6 d# X. L  r* }; u* {! d> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
+ i- {; p2 k$ [> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. _4 T$ x9 K! V6 Z/ J3 Y/ d& e> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
# o: G/ @" e9 o7 k> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& F3 m( V3 ^( e# m> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 t/ A% R/ n6 j5 z, V- T0 K$ T# E> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) T1 H0 V5 w& ~/ v) u1 b% G# e> 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'
>
7 u  c3 v0 h9 C+ f> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 r$ D6 f, I$ ?% k* F4 o> 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
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
& U8 F; H" c9 J6 y* f/ h3 _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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" n$ |7 t8 \* o, k! y> 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
2 ^) j3 h. f" W> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> 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
" h5 v7 _$ }( R" i* u5 ]/ I+ X> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
' m; j' C; A# f8 I> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! Z; a( c3 J( Q0 I% s; Y. s* G4 @> '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
- D7 }0 T+ y+ o> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
' h9 J+ H1 J3 N6 R> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. |) i# U; l8 G, r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
" |! ]* s2 D4 W5 [" r> bit colder in the process?
>
% F( X/ r( @) f! q+ I/ Z> A wise man once said every society is judged by
4 R% @7 S& p/ Y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
8 a  J' s) |5 O+ ?5 V7 ~> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
4 g7 v( C, I6 X7 n; H0 {9 y4 Q# Q- I> May your day, be a Shay Day.