Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
  w" ~, x! J7 n: g9 i' x6 }> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
" K; }3 _6 E( h5 x> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
) p: M3 I( O4 Z  v' o> same choice?
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> 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
# i9 r' \. T: d3 C1 `/ s/ B> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
( \4 q( h9 u& H  H" [1 X7 @> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 }: ^$ @! f2 W7 H> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
- v, @2 j. v; J" W. s% A> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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. K+ o7 Z- `. m$ [$ E( ]" k> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% z: W- r) \& r% Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
5 Z, T1 R* ~) }  T2 \> 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
3 p4 ^: Y9 T- I3 t+ y$ s> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
, S7 A1 w) h( O$ J8 @6 T, Z6 c) ?> 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
' z" @6 [; C" U3 a> inning.'
>
> 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
: X% d4 w6 F* y/ {& W; g+ X0 ?> 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
5 R$ u0 \# x- `9 y% l6 e> 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
6 n. ^: F+ T+ z6 Y9 ^+ a! X2 m> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
+ ]% Z  v- j6 ]9 _> next at bat.
>
> 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.
/ y' M8 N0 T/ \3 b# j" P> 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
4 O* ^( e6 ?) S5 u& s> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
1 `! J' b4 p7 r, w# [0 B4 F5 q7 z. b> 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.
9 U: \* e6 T; u+ ^> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
+ [( G# y) A# q" j. p> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" H5 ^) U: l% v$ Z, T- c/ f* b) ?7 |> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
8 s$ j, ]* B- Y4 n2 v2 x> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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4 x- v5 R2 m" p) r" |2 k> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
* [& S5 G3 a: B5 D! G, f: c; w> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
6 G7 }1 d8 ^+ R0 J+ N, N, \> 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
5 Q  t0 U1 E9 d6 j3 j, j' A2 t> 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
& t* E: _+ W; x  y! `> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
1 P- ]. y5 `) \4 g0 [" r$ b>
> 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!'
2 O* R0 G. e/ H- d9 D; s>
> 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
3 K1 _& R, m* T) \: L> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
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> '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'.
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" f% @- e* s" \8 }( P- u3 O> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 j/ d. X% f0 K: w. ]/ z/ h8 |> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 V; s9 O' C1 U5 A# c8 \: l> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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' E3 N" ]% Z1 @> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
3 C" P. \! o, R; T5 T- q>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 S+ b. S; ]$ T# }& A. R8 _> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 G8 D# F5 o, `> '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
" W+ ^5 V: g4 {% O2 H> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ \: h3 B2 A8 W) G> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
+ {5 K' v$ A% j$ y' {" i: W2 q- K> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
# O3 n8 a2 W4 V# e4 C2 V8 X> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
& F' I) U# _" l9 h' p7 h>
  r/ y8 G( }! r9 b' \> You now have two choices:
6 L8 n5 E# e' {+ T2 T8 @5 E> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
$ w. W' k& o1 L+ `> May your day, be a Shay Day.