Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) g, P6 ]; A. G4 S> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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+ l3 b, \- q3 T$ g) X2 I& I4 U5 n> 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
. G! `  T+ N$ Y3 w8 n& x> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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& Z6 C5 ?. E. \( ]4 H* J> '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
# u* Q$ d" m" o3 C# H7 I4 ^> natural order of things in my son?'
>
- m4 @* v6 b8 O0 }# N3 n( ~0 `> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
6 x4 Y% Q0 F/ F. I' d6 j( e: r> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 l( T% ~0 z% x$ H> treat that child.'
>
4 y( R% `/ y9 g> Then he told the following story:
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& H, P/ G* c9 K7 s) w" p> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
> 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,
. V# m# W" y' d% l> 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
# F% {5 g1 X# o- N! {6 P> 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
3 P1 t2 S6 ?7 I4 N> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
) c: U9 v( Z9 o9 Z* f. `> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
/ s, i4 B% |8 {0 g> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
# ?& Z  J: ^/ J+ e- y> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
1 t, b- a) H; m  n: I4 O; f> 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
> 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.
>
> 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
8 M* x9 L9 r3 f% ?) ?: n* O" H( W> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 W7 H: v: G+ A/ i  z8 D! |> much less connect with the ball.
8 l; L* j3 X3 l. `! S8 g3 i( \> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, i$ X- l  J3 F9 b4 {> 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
8 `- J! w8 U# y  i: |> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
$ h& }$ B; T, ?> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
. q5 ?  P% O! ^4 [" @4 c& [> 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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6 j: m' K, F, n# P> 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
( L$ ^8 G" }* Y' o> 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
% D0 D" _2 c" p  x4 h> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& |# e1 M  T+ g# C: q( Y> 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,
! E9 F4 z/ X- k9 \> wide-eyed and startled.
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  U" I! o$ g  g8 b7 o) Y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
! g: z( ?# S4 W2 k1 f6 l> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ Z3 C4 X1 k, d( T: C7 K: Q. `( m- @> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
& R$ ^7 _) i: [# ^7 S7 Z> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
2 G2 I* @# A* B  |- d4 f. 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
# @+ q! }2 U# a# X1 L: I2 u% o> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# e& F( D8 z! \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 l/ T- r% j% S8 X> 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
8 a' I: V1 G2 I' }3 i> 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
> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
5 b/ h+ r5 G9 \4 b2 c6 @> 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
$ `6 N5 O) q5 v( v( T; S3 a) f" h> 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.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 A& ]" i4 w) j: }: ~. \( I5 b> 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
3 B# u  I1 p) W  n# ~& [> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
5 N, z# \. m  G8 A4 ]> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
, A' {* [5 O! H& N! ?0 b& z$ C> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ Z# _, y) C; o+ X* {; Q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& p8 ]3 r( d6 w8 n0 j> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
, n) W; o9 ^9 t" c> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
) ^. H' B# C7 w0 L> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
/ \1 S8 i' j' T0 s, p> 1. Delete
. }- K' Y8 {7 P8 V> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.