Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 \5 ]! h' X: [> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ P9 u- m0 T/ ?/ m& }> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
  l0 G# [$ s6 W1 r6 S> same choice?
>
8 R, f6 K4 g- W. M' Y> 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:
>
- O8 \+ w. x' Y6 G> '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?'
+ z- A# E4 N  o+ S>
# ^! p  m, }7 ?  t4 `0 A> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
' \! I; ]7 L5 J! X2 u- {5 ?! c> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
2 ^4 X7 i3 M' \  m) s> Then he told the following story:
' J; L9 ]7 a( G6 P( X9 F>
> 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
8 I1 {  n0 V/ `* G: r> 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,
; J& ~) r0 G( z/ b+ ^- S7 p> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
' [) i6 c7 E! R; 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
, E8 F( j. A! G5 h7 C. L> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
( O  l  D& r/ q  U: l; W7 G> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
$ b( V% d5 |* \( D$ Y4 }- v, d> inning.'
: F4 }  i0 t( s! G. O' d3 C>
> 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
8 ?! |, K% ^0 O, C: [& \6 N> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 p  ]% f+ y1 Y* Q> 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
> 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
3 C) ]0 p, e2 ~* ]6 u3 R> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
0 [# L7 y9 f/ X" O> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
, G7 {, K0 |8 A/ n>
> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
! p/ a/ T( ?2 B) j' o> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ w; u- l: B+ d, T> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
' u1 H" X( g4 W2 v> 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.
* L/ a3 ?; ^( b# Y2 M2 P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
' ^5 U2 L; d1 e+ a/ Z  c% C& M> right back to the pitcher.
9 ?8 P9 p0 D3 U; F7 q>
' |1 n& o' I5 |$ F7 ?0 V# ^* Y! k> 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
& a0 r+ X4 ^: m5 D& R) l+ T> out and that would have been the end of the game.
2 M/ Q  C9 n; R+ Q0 D% K>
& e, x- D9 K/ k1 x6 E> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 I7 \- G& v* o> 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,
7 s- V5 P$ @4 k. d. a> wide-eyed and startled.
2 z8 J! ?8 E. E4 M( z! ]$ K. h6 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
2 _/ L/ g1 U4 i+ p4 {& X> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: b" p* |" y6 q0 R6 u& X2 @> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. E2 N9 }1 T# c5 r2 z% y> 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,
  w  e+ `) t1 V5 [. v. I( r0 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
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
; Y" A+ ^1 z2 J4 `  Z& c>
> 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!
* {9 ?( S* @# Y+ x, [- m> Shay, run to third!'
- t$ ?4 J2 h; T$ H% t1 y: ]: y; w>
. V# V0 u* a" Q- S- _  E> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
- Q* q0 X9 q3 w, e5 u> 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
7 \( J3 V8 ]7 L! v4 L# P3 E> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
# Q+ Q/ ~9 ]1 R$ _>
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" R. ]/ s/ v+ v: T! p# v> 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
: C. d8 y( {2 i  w> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 z' X& J: ]! H6 i( a> 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
> 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 _# p6 x! W> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
" z3 b  L2 r! m2 A2 |> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
% L1 y3 m1 H/ P" l" ^> You now have two choices:
0 N* H- l: H' P  k7 _7 ~6 Y: N> 1. Delete
# c  z7 v; v# ]. G( @  _> 2. Forward
0 t$ H% j0 t" ^2 X" }) g>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.