Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ y( E4 V/ e4 l1 p' E/ e/ x* R  y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, D) l, t' d0 D> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
4 K4 `% |% E" m> 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
( d' j3 N& ]& W( J7 F& L0 G> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
, ^( y* i  b' t% q& i' @7 w( o/ L1 Y9 L>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
/ @6 h1 D1 K$ p2 W> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; [+ q6 ~- R* V. Y> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
- A* d. N, x) j, e>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
. }$ v# t* Y$ b$ y) p+ U>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 F! C& O) y/ f* E+ e> treat that child.'
>
9 x, v( E1 {; n! f8 H7 m: O/ T> Then he told the following story:
4 I: q/ w8 Z% x3 D, W1 h>
- j2 j, I% x- a: I' m> 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
> 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
; O/ t7 t  Y( u4 Q$ |5 ?- `5 n> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
7 O4 H5 d0 S/ l2 V>
4 j( R8 z* V% B7 ]* e3 {> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
; t/ {: g" o- D' y, L/ o> 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
* [2 [% e! h( F0 ~$ S: v+ ]1 _2 K0 U& G" C> inning.'
5 A1 u+ ^9 k6 F# W& e4 ?" q>
> 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
# z8 j( |- `2 N; E> 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
> 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
# \! o& z: B; Z. Z" @. M> 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
8 f6 t- o6 ^% S3 ]4 V> next at bat.
$ I5 Q3 O) W3 X0 q>
( R0 q. x0 N0 X  o> 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.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
/ Z7 Z" k( x9 m" K4 \0 T! I> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
2 k6 ^. \- L8 e& w  {, j$ H2 O> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- a( v$ R! b5 m' o) r7 C> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- F5 W4 o1 n9 j" P- z; W> 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.
2 D: l2 X5 B3 `>
4 G' \0 _2 T" ~2 L7 Y" x> 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
> 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
0 j6 X0 z3 Y4 X4 v* p6 O$ H& P- s> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% k2 F1 a( ?4 _+ E" A: \> 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.
>
/ \* A% g+ ]# h8 \: y$ s8 \4 j( H> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
: I# A3 E0 x# I( b/ H+ r1 Q+ p& v* i> 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
> 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
# ^  r6 Y/ S3 |8 Z0 o* p5 N> 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
5 a4 K% @1 O- A9 L3 n7 H$ T6 M# k4 `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
$ _! Z4 g) \: c6 Q' c8 v> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
5 I0 A* \! O- u; M> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
, f) i/ m! G- n/ @' s>
9 {+ u; |, w- J> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 q0 Y. w: i7 k0 c> 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
# k0 ?4 U4 M, r! u, Q* K> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ P  y  t: @1 o6 e2 d# N/ M> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
& S! l5 y0 x3 D: u* J. M> 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!
>
: c; h. F* R: Y+ [> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
) R% r4 y$ w  ~> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
$ C& L2 b, L2 x" ^: {" `* ]$ n> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% A- y' p1 R* ~6 X% f+ ]# W& X> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
- `! Y4 x+ Q: @  g8 ~>
2 ]9 X8 l/ {. N1 l0 n5 @> 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
& z& O+ ]8 @. J3 l3 M8 X> '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
  C( |/ m( T+ U0 P6 \> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" N- q3 u* _+ }. h) M; H+ ~> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
0 ~% ^8 l: M/ Y- p7 u> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
, N* }- ?9 T. a: I* |0 A, V/ m9 z> 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
) e9 a1 M7 t# v> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
) m  y. m/ ], v0 y* G/ M& z! @( F>
3 D* y7 I  i' V. {* j) V> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
; l* c4 |0 _2 _" j5 Z> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.