Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
8 s5 j9 d8 t& t" y  D> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
7 y5 t, Q" ]: W" f5 ?, o( T> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 U7 Z5 s& l% o6 H3 d" Q! V7 ?( o7 J# j> same choice?
7 t6 H1 u' T: ?" F# d>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- Q# X& q- C, T9 a' I> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
* N: T* C3 u. k5 _- G! y, ^> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
4 j7 A) m: ]. f( F3 q2 y' `> '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
$ O9 F" t5 E4 @8 {9 g, j> natural order of things in my son?'
>
; d/ a% [. ~& Y$ m> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" b  s) O  e& \: ]. u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" h3 P7 u, m' l! _% ~> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
8 t! S* @7 W2 I9 g. r4 `>
> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
% F2 c' V- Z7 ]. p# R! D: s' R> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* l0 @, x$ Y0 L' }0 N>
> 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
' D0 P; \- I+ m) u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 C$ i4 F+ |, L; O$ g# J5 U/ n> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
0 D0 c; [" k! h# A4 n$ 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
9 Z; W8 f: K, ^' `9 a+ O6 f  O3 l* 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
9 O5 Q$ T5 T8 Q$ e- i! d7 @> 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
4 \$ {- p1 D% l# m* ?+ [> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
' r$ [+ d! o3 P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
% l# U6 v& H1 g) Q3 y: V> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ [5 D0 H! L8 s4 r4 J> next at bat.
>
4 C. m; j3 K  N* ]2 X, ~> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. f' X- Q; L; s( u/ Y. |+ @& o> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
$ S( [' K& I/ K% q7 P6 [, A> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
2 x" L; u5 o, Q8 s/ P2 a9 Z> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
3 q7 h1 a, ]( O% Y6 P0 j> 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
8 w: @# W6 D5 a; w  q* [) V> 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.
: a" X( m$ E( g, V; G> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
" x0 }: |3 I. G& R( V# S/ ?2 k>
) p, v6 w( a" f+ p. e> 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
5 S: a" u1 Q) i( V. q> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
( y+ Q5 D/ b. w+ K1 Y> 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
8 n( d$ P9 H: ~  f3 B> 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
> 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
* X5 v5 v( Z8 p$ b- O& q" h6 c$ q- Y> 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,
> 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'
>
> 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!
+ h; J4 |- Z7 Q$ Z& L, N> Shay, run to third!'
. m% G0 s$ l# w8 M5 l) [: [>
: L- G" e( X+ s' v> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
+ Y- h8 _( j2 v% t; N8 `& B8 Q> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
+ n0 `# L/ t! C( U& \, l( u> 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,
" S& F9 I) d/ A7 d, J2 x2 Z1 _> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
+ y7 u( ~  Y9 E6 I; q' Y3 `1 `> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
; `, |9 P$ M! y( {9 Y1 ]> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
2 v# t- G& G7 T2 E7 e* m. t4 R> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
+ M' b1 J! {- L- X9 \! [> 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
2 d8 {" ]  r7 u, \> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
$ D( F% y# o2 @6 _: v>
( |& i8 T5 ?: |; q  a# {0 d> 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
7 B) L1 E: u! s: |/ I3 {> '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
, k" l% F! D/ u, T1 ?) {> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
6 w2 w; x; a2 ~6 b, t2 V& F> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ S1 H8 y& R& y( X> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
! U, {5 R' C# q1 Q7 }- j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
+ g6 N3 q' N* N. S& z>
, N  ^$ O0 C, {> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
5 d* r& J+ V' X) v  L: R. S+ H1 c>
# R( Q6 K2 b7 Y> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
0 m* e* b( N( g> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.