Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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
3 {* T+ z0 \% O> same choice?
>
" J6 K. b+ G" A2 l& `  }% c> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 B3 |, Q4 G$ h9 Z  F$ I- w4 U3 W/ w> 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
; H% q5 k: ^& d5 l* _5 a> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
% ?/ z% }8 o, F' ?( x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 o6 b; \0 k, O! g  Z4 k9 R! H> natural order of things in my son?'
! H% \% ^2 L& x# p  h. c>
* S6 s! n- \# a: }, G* }. r> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
" c' v  h. }% D5 o9 H! m> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& N! V* o; H4 J- @6 ?6 Z$ X> 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.'
3 o' H: z! r' Q4 O>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 j! b8 C3 C! K& \> 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
; b8 _  ~; i  I* a> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
; _+ a& ^; C- l* r. `>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" _) v* U/ c5 `6 n& J> 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
/ z, t9 z: ?) Z> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
1 j7 p& E* k6 m2 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
+ u* ~1 {1 ?5 I$ I' Z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 L$ q% D' Q0 C' Y) K" R" u> 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
1 |# a) X/ U* x> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
5 P; f# _8 H% D> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
% y6 t9 z7 z3 A% w7 O' G>
> 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
; V* M. `* M( j5 c) d7 [' b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
. t. W/ ^: n+ ?2 J' B> 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
' G7 g' J6 d  n: Y> 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
9 a  o' w9 N* g) k" l> 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.
>
6 ^. P& H7 E& r3 p> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" S! B; f5 S, N! u* y> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
$ W# I$ |6 R8 I7 o9 _+ P% v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
) D) X8 [" ~$ N" v2 Q2 M>
. N7 H& H4 @4 i$ V> 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
1 d" k' R0 [1 H& t6 B# n> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 H$ Q* b; m% `- I8 J9 a> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& m. Q( u- w' |' q9 y> wide-eyed and startled.
>
$ U" e! h: u( l- f! R( V> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 B* T8 W" G- L' ~- l' `  |> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
, I0 \% I" u$ F$ ]% R. u> 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
> 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
1 c. w' C! h: t' V8 D6 v( o> circled the bases toward home.
' n3 f* x1 _4 M( o) r( }9 T" t9 q>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
6 Y" {8 A) R; {. z>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; f  d2 }: e. y$ j# A5 Q> 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
> game for his team.
>
. l0 M3 a8 i, e: Q$ x> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
3 [8 e" x' s+ m% f( J> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
# R0 _7 q8 C0 p) z3 b/ a$ a! W0 I> into this world'.
>
  T, t' j0 r% x4 _6 d7 X/ B; F> 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
9 T8 P- V% k; k: ?' j8 X% ^  e  |> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
6 C$ {$ C8 [) F. l6 J$ A& N' I>
3 z9 r# H" W7 `4 V> 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
: X8 y  N% U% V( ?7 Q; j> 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.
( L" ]' x  K- C  f3 p>
> 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
, I! @& V/ ^5 _. }> '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
( f# H8 ?4 a$ I> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
4 l' j$ Z. s; `7 d0 o( U. F> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* M- N  ]7 ^/ d$ ?0 ~% E> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- r6 [* q* W8 n1 `/ l6 [> bit colder in the process?
>
9 O1 S0 m( ^0 X9 ^  S> A wise man once said every society is judged by
/ {& A( I2 D  \6 d6 m6 t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
4 W6 F( H. I& R>
7 F  E6 g8 T7 S; N1 `> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
. z) b. l% T) n" z/ O5 S/ e5 f9 h1 y>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.