Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
5 w* Z5 W/ h# G) D1 {> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
9 F- u. @3 H. k  k> 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
& R, b3 o8 R' ]* U: q> staff, he offered a question:
>
0 Y) c, T8 ~8 Q1 B+ R" O; U4 G/ m' [6 l> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
) i: |9 ]. r! D( U8 c# K8 r3 {; D$ f' e> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
6 e- U4 L  ?1 B, |' H> 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.
>
- q' P# F! C3 U4 h> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
3 t3 {2 X1 J- |" Q% e> 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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> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
/ d8 V0 ]3 N. z; m0 T> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
0 |# O0 b4 B) k( o' y> 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
, ?3 A8 s0 M$ ~# [  P) v7 g> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
4 E! m+ i8 G8 u, [6 P> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ M6 \  m( h( s( \4 C% g8 N4 H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
1 T$ W1 k: h8 L4 k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
8 q! E1 e4 ?2 @; I> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 Z  I( s6 m2 `1 ?" g> inning.'
>
" _; y" P( M4 d% t7 H2 `/ M> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
% Z3 ^5 i/ p! K- h3 X  W> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  [) d6 E7 t. r> 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
. t9 g- Q) E( h3 u" }' m' p! U> 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
% m. c1 N# |/ d1 n  i6 w1 n7 L> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
. M* N3 \. O- Y3 x> 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
% b3 X# p6 e. T6 B0 X4 C3 r2 C# c> next at bat.
>
5 `* ^# L4 \5 D" ]( ^, W> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
6 `' W; @0 f" M/ v8 u> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
% D2 A7 K" s/ p6 x* T: J0 P4 Q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
1 j7 [" k: T$ h$ M3 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
1 r* n3 ]9 Q- A" C. {% B7 V> 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.
) Y4 g. I# s6 R- }3 h> 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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> 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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9 @2 x2 I5 i) j; ^1 t7 B> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
- R' b' f  [3 n$ W' j" B> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
% b0 i/ C+ R5 {/ B2 N: u) ?+ ^; X> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
: W% i8 |& V( N> 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
> 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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, ^$ \) x# d9 x+ i* K> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ }) _6 w( a$ i6 O9 v7 U> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
3 d9 L  p, ~! z% `7 S: L> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: {( {! R; M5 h$ v3 x# B  |> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
' C( M8 d$ W5 f, M> 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,
+ n+ `: J0 {# {9 M/ P5 i3 j> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 F$ T3 b7 f0 `; w! U$ m/ _> into this world'.
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> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
7 E9 W& V( v5 u> 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
5 `$ z8 }: f7 M; m6 N2 n+ b: N4 ^> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ S, L( Z' ?3 k" i$ t" H> 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
> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
! {# i; Q: w' L3 P% y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
  {" S7 y4 R" l) T. M> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 ^6 B/ q9 c3 X/ N+ Q> You now have two choices:
, ?9 T9 y: b$ Q1 `+ p* q- I; O> 1. Delete
) R* a' x" A' N( V> 2. Forward
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0 M1 `" g# h: a; U# ?> May your day, be a Shay Day.