Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# X  \. c+ I5 X> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
, ?" r+ z5 b2 X; I+ [> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. n$ v0 `# p4 {6 I> 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
/ J7 O" [% |6 A  D1 n* Q# c> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
5 v+ P, W" V8 l3 ]2 p. y> 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
4 h) W5 d4 H* t7 a9 H3 `> natural order of things in my son?'
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# R! y" d, O4 q9 s% y# i> The audience was stilled by the query.
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" g& J# O! A5 j4 d- r. o> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 J3 K1 |. P. I> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 Y& W+ H$ f3 V$ {0 t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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) M  D( D2 p# M; G$ w> Then he told the following story:
>
) C: S6 g& |  I0 Y; p" J) q> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( O1 W3 b* i9 e! p  @7 i; ^- r' V; 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
( u  c( ^" G. m, l> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
* I' q, G0 b: i& ^5 E0 @> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
6 ~' X9 k8 y' Y! q7 I> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
) D# F9 Q1 w' L; E' i4 @0 f> inning.'
>
+ G7 f2 S; p# r3 Z  y% Z> 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
$ y2 Z, Q5 j/ m8 y) K! U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
$ d$ e; @* g6 F% \# ]4 Y/ V> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
3 ]6 F9 |2 K  c! Y$ h  C> 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
4 ?! M& K8 B! ~- B> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" O/ ]6 j$ C8 V% Y% q( @. A0 Z> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ ~. B# ?) r4 l; j3 Q' h> next at bat.
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) h  S3 c+ L( u" Q6 j> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
9 P) T+ c9 p8 N> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
4 [. Y6 W& W4 y# q) X( b( E> 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
> 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
> 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.
) {4 ]+ ]5 p8 J$ I7 N5 q> 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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> 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
3 T! R- u" a7 s7 u> 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
/ S* A/ t$ n( \; S8 s0 |0 Z> 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
# U" o8 ^& m0 F) D> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ g- r. e7 k/ n" d: b* Q$ J. |> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
/ y& |1 h, n% k; G. `% i. Y& y> 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
; E( R, b+ ~: {( O0 E1 G% R> 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.
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, i2 `* z# p% f- D: b( W0 w  y* @> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
& l! L/ |$ ~* Y! U5 z> 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
> 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
$ F. z) r- N( r* R3 R& R# S; H7 }% x> game for his team.
>
9 R% ]4 d& R; F. C> '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
# m1 g! I5 @# U6 Y, M/ x0 U> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 t* @: n" l2 i* r5 ?7 s+ B> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
  D. S, v" I; G  @2 S- r> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
. Y2 P. y, k& a- \( u! x/ D5 e  Q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
: K3 R( |6 q: d  J: B- C> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ S( C- w' P/ f& i$ g7 D& }3 G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
& ^: y0 e" a3 F6 X$ b> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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$ K& i# U# {9 Y. |, R" q> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ K3 u1 L$ F" X$ c" i' |> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 p) j9 B" H5 B7 B( A> '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
) N5 E; D2 D% Y, m0 Z. I, c9 t> 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
+ U, J- x! e. i> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ J4 Q3 ^: {" j/ d) h> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
# J- }0 d, M6 c( _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
: _. W3 \  r5 p0 }% ?6 d( y' Y> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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* H7 j3 b4 L1 I6 X/ ]> May your day, be a Shay Day.