Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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* U! t3 ]4 n, z- V* Y# ]6 y> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ k+ D  {) A' R/ O8 Z9 ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
. q: R; u- Z3 i> same choice?
>
3 r  O5 S( p) V4 k0 u8 c" ^' m! 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
% v2 L5 y1 K: D: l0 ~) v; ~> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
$ n# Y/ q' y1 \( ]9 n' q7 B> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 |' R- F1 a8 y- g+ b5 S2 r( ?! n> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
3 x5 ~0 L6 E' n> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* T; q) S6 D* ?8 _. \# l. I9 ~7 E, _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
5 C. S; F' V$ u! c$ j3 m>
, F% o$ R% m1 Q! x9 v> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
  R, Z% R. t  M> 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
) Z( `) }% _4 f7 k$ j/ _# O> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. v1 Q( j# A) ~$ }1 N, c> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
7 j% ?6 o% S$ }. R, B> 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
0 l: V0 D: ?3 j& L& S4 F( o; ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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1 R3 q7 _/ o" V- W5 X) s> 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
> 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
1 s" w$ l+ S5 @, J> 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
1 F( e+ ?, x5 l, M' W1 r> 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
) q, y0 Y# E1 Q+ X> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
1 ]2 v  W4 n+ C$ f5 N  ]4 t3 j> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 p3 h9 _% f5 w& T3 `# K> 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.
7 U/ \/ Y6 G' {> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
+ q' S6 y2 F  u; {> 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
6 `8 m( t( j* }1 c> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
1 w$ _$ T: w1 [7 f> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
& a& c9 ~2 P) U8 A) k, W> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
% P8 W' i5 E( }( e- }, u% R> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
5 y7 |' g. U) p7 m8 r3 t% r8 U> 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.
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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
1 e4 R( n& h4 v, ~> 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,
" W; l. A$ ^/ v) K> wide-eyed and startled.
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6 u/ \+ |* M1 K8 \/ J, R+ r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  M$ Y2 [* A) g& }> 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
& R5 ]. F! \. f2 M: n4 T/ s7 E> 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
1 h3 F% x6 |5 c6 C, Q> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
5 u7 `0 \6 _5 m+ ], E" y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 g3 U& s; I* |% i: Z3 p/ \0 {" Y> 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!'
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> 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.
>
> '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'.
>
  f$ v5 `1 A  e" D4 j> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 b7 M  [$ x" w> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' h1 F& _% g+ Z4 m* E8 \; Y> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 E8 |! I' l! {5 O- \> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
& D. z/ W! J8 m8 d& @: F> 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.
8 [: Y# @+ N, b, X>
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
, B' J" n( y- a$ T5 r> 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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
' U8 m/ D8 N0 j' 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
: I! w# L3 K/ M2 D/ z  o- j> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 X, p- j, q8 W) l& Y8 w5 b> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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+ X% [. K! ]8 E% H. S# C> May your day, be a Shay Day.