Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 X7 [% ^& D! h> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
! x) H- t* {& n, Z> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
7 k8 A! |3 H5 r8 y9 J1 E* [2 ]; c$ @> 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
( n8 F; \* H5 T; t> staff, he offered a question:
+ N, Q& h0 K1 O. c, v>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) m- E6 o0 }9 @9 i> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 P8 w! A& O8 i+ x: N$ M> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
& f  s* {; T0 M2 H3 f4 J>
& k/ p4 p* O3 R8 w) _: F> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
; `5 k/ X3 P5 ^8 w! X; D> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
  S9 |& k  `* X' T> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
+ }' Y# I* i8 R: G1 W7 t4 z+ G>
# y5 ?/ X# [7 [$ j> Then he told the following story:
>
4 H4 k$ o, |, Y> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 O& j, j! M/ \( ~' \- C> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" d# K# ]: {- b4 J2 n> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
# k6 q: e8 R, z$ n  K> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
3 G/ p+ ~6 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
& O1 W& ~# X; `8 s5 h4 I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
3 R5 Z2 @& S' q> inning.'
>
/ Z6 T7 y0 O+ Z, q! b> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- R! Q% P- C3 A8 P6 t: W+ d+ L1 C  X> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 L+ ^3 y/ p6 L$ Z> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
/ d' a- O% r( j7 F/ L, B7 y3 s> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
" r/ s' J8 G# s( O% r' u  l0 a> 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
0 }1 W9 q1 h! |0 _  m> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
- Y4 X% o- L4 Q4 j> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
5 }3 P8 M, j4 l# U> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
1 t3 `2 Y2 N4 C* r> next at bat.
>
" Y( y, I% T( I7 R6 N- g7 U> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
8 Q3 d# ~8 D& h. u2 i> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
, F+ W$ ]% ?( @" R, r; |2 _* J  N> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
: u# k# K0 G" Y* S1 C" o> 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
$ ^: t- m7 M8 L% T# u> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
/ r; F7 J- z9 M8 Q% v) k> 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
: W5 r5 s4 O% P6 h' r> right back to the pitcher.
* g9 i: g9 b' P" L$ _, @>
% n+ C& x. h5 L  x# L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
' c! a4 A( Z6 }> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
7 H$ z4 R% ?8 l) H2 S. c+ i> 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
5 ]& F* {& s* U* e> 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
0 H7 s/ K, Y, [" _3 T> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' Z! c, _7 U4 r> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
7 B, w4 g6 `2 M: b2 t5 {> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
: o7 o- g- j* X+ m6 X9 ?; a> 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,
7 H3 g3 g* w5 s! o( f> 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
' I# L: n4 u7 x( A> circled the bases toward home.
! [6 z0 T6 }) J8 B' Y8 W>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
% g6 v/ x3 P( Y7 s( p> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" K9 Z) A3 I8 L+ t& S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
/ u5 P6 S6 n% C( z$ ]4 q>
- H+ |) a! y* F8 S8 {% u> 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
: V; j" R9 w- x" v+ G> into this world'.
>
> 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
4 O* ^5 i3 `8 o7 @4 C# h* H> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
$ h0 W1 u. i& W6 V8 ^7 S+ @1 C>
> 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
$ z, d" c% S% D/ S> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
) r7 G! S% E! k4 T! k0 d> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
9 Q5 t) |, ^1 i) J8 C5 `% Z> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 L8 e6 s3 x) ~- H% N! @> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
; r" @3 D( S2 v2 y$ M# `1 ]3 r, |! ~> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
# s( D1 s; Q  C6 [- X  q- D> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
/ [8 a& p3 P6 q' E  a" v% A> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
6 ?, b4 T. J  Z>
> You now have two choices:
: }, [$ T, L' h5 P> 1. Delete
3 R5 q% Q/ m6 j/ ?/ U( ~9 ]/ L> 2. Forward
* g, V& j$ N- k8 \( L% z& I! Z! `, {>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.