Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
' G! \* V  H2 X  {' ]> 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
4 h1 H% `6 \3 G& S> same choice?
>
( F: _+ x+ N: y/ Q> 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:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 f0 M7 V2 W5 G8 V; `" O> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, N2 i* l" ]- B8 K> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
6 Z) E: {3 v0 F> The audience was stilled by the query.
5 [' `9 r+ j8 ?& r# h) h* n>
) D& n2 K2 U6 K! y  v> 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
3 H" j  T5 `0 b" a% g, `> treat that child.'
0 g  |# h; G  k8 W3 v. W>
> Then he told the following story:
>
2 h. V2 T. V1 Z( x9 J0 ?: C> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
! j/ `8 Y7 a( C, t- r> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 |# A% a7 c; n! O' F( W> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
. ]( p' W) b! l* v! ]' I> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
: c, I+ L! X. J( b> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
# e) d) N; o& }- D2 H/ {> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
; I9 I8 f5 n( I5 |>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# Q* j  |  V: s> 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
> inning.'
>
1 ?. X- U: Z; K> 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 D, w% i7 ?8 j7 \> 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
* P9 E2 k9 @( n8 c" M$ J) K9 S> 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
9 g8 T% {& O9 O/ H! n" J> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 |) [3 X; f* Y  {/ ]> next at bat.
>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 u5 ~; x/ Z8 h+ a3 Q( q  }> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
7 N8 r. ~/ t5 I% Z# [. E9 {2 \> 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
2 q6 Z4 J1 D& x+ o> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
6 B% E, P/ d! p" v- y) I7 Z2 Q$ q> 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 w9 H0 E* B. f% N8 E  s>
( E! H# m/ }* T' h  ^- E$ i. I> 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
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
; ^% Y; y# E& d. @; e, m6 Q# a> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
8 u  E& e; i0 g9 Q( z1 w> 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
6 E4 l8 A5 a# r* w& U! [- u> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
  _, l9 m1 c6 ?+ ^2 Y* t, B> 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
0 @* E. m( a1 f1 m. O' N+ X> circled the bases toward home.
" s! k2 x% E' I! F- r1 ?>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
3 {1 i( C6 E. Z5 `3 t7 j9 h> 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
1 g2 ?. ^0 e+ N+ h2 u. N3 Z5 V" d* I> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
+ ~3 c7 P$ Q- Z' u! G! I! k>
% e, }) o  L$ i2 q1 v> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
" L; _7 N, D9 Z7 J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
0 O# N4 i/ j* g> into this world'.
! l3 f0 ~2 E* }, Z>
8 l- F' L% M- d8 G> 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
7 g7 `/ V# j2 I) I> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
% R5 B# j8 n$ D>
$ j: a/ U) H9 X8 h/ c  g; K> 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
) f9 I$ i; f- a  m> 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.
! r( U5 b5 ^: d3 J% V>
; ]& A' w; Q7 n, N* v> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
+ G, m$ y- W9 j, U% c3 c; r8 U> 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
8 o4 p9 L) f' J5 r> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" H( c' Y* ]. t+ j. J* M5 k> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
; I) w4 \. s+ `- `2 s3 \>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& W4 v' k; l- X. ?3 G" q. F3 ]>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
) U/ V; [# P  f0 X>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.