Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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- _2 |* }+ w) @7 M- w7 k> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. {0 |- i2 Z9 L  S% P3 D( R> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
- g0 \! L# u/ I1 @6 s: a> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; `- R% s" _9 @- h/ H% x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
1 P/ \4 _4 B3 u6 H- X> natural order of things in my son?'
>
. [3 y- A; |# [7 A& q( Y: T1 N> 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
. v5 A: w  ]1 {' y* P) o4 |; K0 x> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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> 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,
9 j- O+ \8 l! o> 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
9 d1 D* o; D' `0 ~% n: h> 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
2 {* n7 S* b, t7 p4 v> inning.'
>
0 F# y; L6 A. _> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
. m* w; w: j' R> 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
1 t. D% Q9 ?! \5 T& |( Y- a> 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
* R% k, d& K( 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
> 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
% u5 O/ S) b0 T! ]  l1 n> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) g8 `, T/ ?3 [; T3 `7 H> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
! D6 W# c* K2 R7 ]: _0 G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
5 ]! A$ `' P' B> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
* Q& x, P, y4 \1 z. Y> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- l4 b, \# f7 U" Y" b> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ S8 N! K% _$ P7 y+ B; f$ a# p> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& Q' l$ l7 S- J( O$ w; b- u% q% x  c> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
, M- h% M7 q- U> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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+ L: {& w$ L+ |+ d+ r" G- n3 _! y' f> 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
7 L7 H7 s4 B2 F/ I" x: G> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
$ _. e( r2 c* A( V* ]" E; j8 f; I> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 a+ X. z5 m) s4 C+ {> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 A6 R7 g2 y+ @; a; Q& f> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) r8 ^; j' f) e; D2 A7 \> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
7 v* x; i& d9 r$ k0 D; e  j4 d# p; S> 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,
3 c1 e" }( Z3 m> 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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, r8 w8 S3 G* h& g! m" x> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
, u: g- Y5 O" }7 c> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 @) u7 ?; D- K6 x> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 m- X- L! ]6 U1 _> 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
; R0 ?% Z! s; T> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 m# |. T! A# |/ }( U> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 [) D, z" h! `* `! o- ^; h> 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
2 D% q) O0 X$ H0 a> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ i- _1 q& a+ a> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
$ O7 X. J! r8 _% Q( |- L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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0 r0 U& @2 {8 F& \  |> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
7 P2 E* N: V  C6 f% J  |> 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
4 h9 `9 {' l" i3 S> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
  s& X7 u9 ~4 ]: o. ^/ o8 S' R3 K> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
  w- P" _% ?6 i. J! p$ W' q# b> bit colder in the process?
>
% M4 O. T: Z/ c> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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; B& v9 n2 C2 \> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.