Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
: J$ z1 f7 y. X0 j> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
6 ?. P' e7 |2 P$ Y7 C> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
9 ^4 C: @; q+ C> 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
$ [0 F, u! b' u3 \/ X> staff, he offered a question:
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) Q* ?% X9 N: V2 \" |> '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
% W8 M4 r7 N7 ~> natural order of things in my son?'
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. ]* b: P. w: O) l! N! a$ {" a4 |2 S- ^> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( d1 @) _( h3 G  J* S  C> 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.'
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* r: g$ r" Q" u; p- g0 s> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
' H6 K' f% ~  {- L1 ^: Y7 i1 \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ U0 `6 e$ Y9 \: N- s" @> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- |* V1 s8 T0 W' y" ]4 h> 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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1 Y; I: g" M5 C- x- X> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  ?3 R" z: c% Y$ `1 o> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
7 X" _5 I+ E) j1 I( \0 k7 J> 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
$ a# ^$ }4 U# i; u% x( P> 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
> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
2 W/ J, e% }' k( c- d> 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
( Q# D* L- c/ Y) `) E* y> 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
" e" H7 D" Y. [- B> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
+ r: X, j7 k6 X: ]  w> 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
( M! j$ \! U# J4 n6 F/ ?> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
$ C" e" ?* u6 E, u; ]> 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.
/ ~* R- @% `4 f> 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
. i: D8 a0 B4 P  A5 S8 F> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
1 ^) I: t, d% h> 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
+ W: i3 @' j" z8 G+ L& Y9 k> right back to the pitcher.
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( }1 q  A! K* e6 m$ b8 ]$ P% i> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 ^* j5 g: P: d7 P> 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.
>
, Z' n( d9 O3 n3 B! n. l1 s3 W  I, e> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( W, i2 N/ B/ k0 H9 T! y" j5 a3 U> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
# u, ]. P" v! M- L> wide-eyed and startled.
>
, }1 W" G: p; D/ Y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
5 I: o% y; N( {/ s4 [> 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
> 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,
1 x, \- F# o7 t; a. _0 M> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
' M( ~+ C: G$ e. A6 `: G> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
* ~, p7 F; w& b; {> circled the bases toward home.
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: v7 X" f7 a( J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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0 b' ^" c2 l( f# i9 T9 a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
  f  A5 R5 d! `( L" e: V> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& ]2 {: o, d  l' V( ^2 @/ Z! g> 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
! G* O7 T& I9 V3 P* Q; o> game for his team.
>
8 R: L* k, l  o" u* I$ b9 Q> '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
+ @9 L' ]0 E1 E/ @( e: a> 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
. n, y5 g! I( i- \( g$ X> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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& p, X, |, r4 g' a$ F2 \> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 k' Y; M- h2 B% [+ E> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
( h  e1 A  ]( C6 V- |7 N8 G# G> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
7 e' B0 S2 g. }5 x> 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
& U5 l5 _+ Y8 }, d, c  g> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* m5 \8 [& F" @/ Y> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
% F5 B% U) [4 Q> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
, u" G) V2 n9 ]% Z> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
% b5 F0 N& `1 d& S5 G& o; @$ @/ t> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
. b% m1 U- d! P" Q# T% `" `9 a2 j> bit colder in the process?
>
, }3 D. Y6 B9 M7 d. D0 S> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& R  T9 }! n4 H* t9 X8 N8 E+ t> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
, ~' R4 \' y) \> You now have two choices:
0 ?/ N  j. Q) F, V> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.