Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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( c) i% E# P! f( D6 Q% A> 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
& F- W  Y5 S0 F. G, c4 w; {# s> same choice?
>
, f8 H+ \$ f& F8 {0 k> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
2 x! N- F. b! F5 Y- A) W2 i. Y> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
# K. \2 I5 k" V- \5 g* |* w> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
' H$ h+ L* J" X* w$ N7 [> staff, he offered a question:
>
$ p5 g  Y  n- p+ T  |9 `% U7 J> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ r4 N# F' {" X> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> 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
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, l4 U& ~- W" w/ [) F, X& r& D> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; m3 r) ^) {* E& b1 Q> 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,
6 |2 d! g- O* g) U. C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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  ]  v( f5 d& B6 b# O. J> 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
> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
6 F' U3 \8 ~* S9 p. H' N/ Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
2 ]9 e# I& l# `! M- `/ i> 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
- i2 c. l  X6 _/ c7 H> 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
* U6 K* Z9 H" q! u8 G5 j> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 X" t; r8 I$ c4 `> 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
( K# f+ \5 k: C> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
& [. m% @: |9 w- V+ K7 S  H> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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' {4 `+ z5 v8 O3 Z> 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
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 I& }" j  j" L/ a4 I> 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
> 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.
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) I5 N3 M* h' J# p> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
9 q4 }- _  T1 E+ u" x> 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
9 N' ]) q. w, V- w6 e/ g> 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.
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, O: l& [2 |4 _% w# M; F5 h> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
& x9 Z- d& l% C0 i> 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
* O4 g4 {6 L% B. b> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 J: H" k% O- m/ I, d> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 ?* s* f# g1 G# E! h> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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' e+ V0 _7 K# O" ]9 p* i2 O7 X> 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 I4 G% M> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- _/ l) \# d5 K* p' ~> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. w, v) m" u* Q4 d5 J! g8 F> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  K$ o# @7 M6 w; \$ Q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
! H+ |8 u! @* y4 M> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 E5 ]1 V- H8 ^$ \% V3 j: U> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
6 o( ]( A& m" l; x( W$ K> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
1 P2 |( I1 P8 L# [> '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
0 h. w; G6 h( Z4 Y> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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2 c  Q6 w1 F  c, X# O' w$ }> A wise man once said every society is judged by
' i$ L. }9 D3 B+ w+ S3 [" s> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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5 k2 Q$ n5 M+ w* r; h  n9 r2 l> May your day, be a Shay Day.