Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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; W, J9 X& \! H2 l& z4 q" y! S> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 g+ Q$ ?; Z& ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
& `6 l( Z7 @. {% N- u, @* u> same choice?
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1 v4 p% x  w! K3 B9 C* X/ d1 N$ V> 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
& |) N4 }& ]+ P2 q) K> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% s, [& w1 ?8 c5 E" e> staff, he offered a question:
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5 S/ }& g& P) ?7 X( c# f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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: {' {* m( s. i% k" o. j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
% H4 S4 o3 G* s* m8 K> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
. N% S* n/ K( m2 e! l( b5 g> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 z) z+ ]% U0 h( u# [* \  K. G> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ B5 e% F( _; m3 t> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 K& K, {& e9 w3 w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, F! |6 M0 V& @> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
' `* k0 Q$ A- i& 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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> 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
" e4 B: o- ~" U2 P0 i> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
8 Y# O, ~1 h! R" {2 T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
8 t+ q! E9 H" F' ]3 C# |& a/ `4 W7 U6 M$ i3 L> 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.
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> 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
& q8 D+ D- Z0 Z: G# u# e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
5 F1 i; h* }) t) ]8 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
> 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
5 \: m$ x- F  c% n8 X> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
3 x# U( a2 K- v' {> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
& @. b# x' }2 X# p+ D" w8 O3 N/ V> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
1 Q: m* {- f* ~6 F" h9 ~4 _6 [6 J> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
) J3 s. H% N) B" r! R> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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 N, \1 o$ L> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
. M1 M; W4 U1 d! n' S9 r> 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
  O9 [& Y, t, N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; l/ v9 E. l$ T* b" x( S  ?: `> circled the bases toward home.
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. M- n# f3 g+ l; m$ s% ^> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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, S' o. w# A; p* K5 r) ]> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
' H5 `2 X4 t0 a  S> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
  x& U( w" S" Y> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
; J% w3 _5 `. ?# X3 m> 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
+ L3 w( E! U( }6 \9 f6 Z' d> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( U- W* Y% `8 A; F/ Y3 I7 e> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
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>
, `( G$ `5 H3 s- |/ c' W> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: v9 f* y* t2 Y. B& i; d1 B> 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!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 Z) X% x- u' U8 _1 K> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
/ n" W9 Z: B& N6 j1 q- ^> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ @: {- }: l2 u0 H> 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
7 E# T, Q, D# a) m, y- ]> 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
8 O0 |; U, ?0 R3 {> 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
  L6 N9 b. M' O* I# u> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
4 r9 U' \* w( @' f) x* u* ?> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
( V" m3 j; ?- a% L; r> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
7 U. x' I1 L9 y! ~4 H4 X, p, H/ W3 `1 @> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.