Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ U) L+ K5 P3 n> 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
/ |8 W7 I  {3 G> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- J8 N( g/ c. X> 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:
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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
9 U5 o7 ~0 a2 v! |  n! n> 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.
>
1 S# g' r$ F8 z- Z. T% `> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 m( P& H$ V, n, z> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
; D3 L  m% V/ Z0 r  j) q/ r> Then he told the following story:
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# x4 ~3 ?6 {9 L1 d) A> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  [4 [; A5 \" k; w8 i1 e: V> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 y% A% e( G+ g0 R( Q' |& e- P> 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,
. {: C$ `  z1 Q! }3 O/ Z> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 ~9 e  J3 B* d1 C- m> 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
9 |( p- T$ V6 ~; S> inning.'
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> 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
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
2 k" k/ U$ j; n, f$ p> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
9 P9 J) `5 w% k  q7 J5 n* O( M> 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
! ]3 ^2 J+ ?' E9 v+ b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
/ }* u8 k' I; F: Z# w& |  A8 N; b> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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1 a3 Z/ ]5 P9 O+ a/ K3 a> 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,
! c( v+ \4 M' D> 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
> 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.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 j: O/ W( [8 W> 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
3 X$ W( R! v1 L6 b. I> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ Q+ k* Z' @2 g! L> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
5 i* N3 u$ b" o* k  l9 S> wide-eyed and startled.
>
5 ]- b" }+ T: a1 O" ]> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
2 y7 Z# ~3 A. Q5 o> 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
0 x+ o6 Z3 H( u$ f8 j$ T# T$ n7 v> 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
- A0 p6 ]6 p  g" n> 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'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
2 n! ^) u% f4 X, v" c6 }" F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
* u  N. }9 S- `; `& i3 i0 ^> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
# e% s; w& d# q3 T" l> 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.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
! v# f" L* y. D+ k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
, [6 R; }- u+ ~8 H+ `, m> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 {2 u: G! c3 U& j* F0 f> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& V8 K7 Q9 j  j' Q) j6 J4 z> 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
8 c1 s! G0 T" I4 e+ V; W> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
$ h% M7 |6 m8 F) x> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
' O9 s5 x9 H$ I/ c> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 u8 O# u+ @4 w/ x; h> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% M! s3 d8 D6 `5 I, `! a> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, p* O! W1 `2 u, k4 O, C; W> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* S1 n& F' O( I0 ?& K) Z% ^> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 K  T% w0 x! i( t! |8 C' b# F> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
0 t0 _' @, r9 N( g6 v> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 K5 [' v% y; j; \+ A6 u> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
& F+ ?' m& W" X# l$ ]> You now have two choices:
4 Z% a- b4 S3 c+ L) R> 1. Delete
7 g; B% n) V5 W- P! X, N  D% o> 2. Forward
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  Z3 I% c- B0 F' u> May your day, be a Shay Day.