Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ {; H$ e# L6 O5 D# a> 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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> 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
> staff, he offered a question:
>
7 e8 U  z6 g$ A6 f> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, u% X! {* G( b6 ]> 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?'
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> 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
  ?+ X3 I& U" G* u# y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 o" f4 M- C, C6 n> treat that child.'
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9 g$ }6 l% P* ^9 ]( d5 v, B> Then he told the following story:
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% F* V) \: ?4 S5 q3 X> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
, @, F/ _  p  s5 s2 V& M0 Z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
2 [& ~3 Q+ h+ Z/ t5 `4 U> 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,
  D& j9 a4 B- L* i% h- n, W8 x> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- ^$ G. u* v6 {# j7 p8 {> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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7 g. t' r4 Y' K> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
! m4 E& q4 A% b7 F4 @  c$ _; w> 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
, {9 T  |- y9 @* j> inning.'
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2 W4 t# o4 h: u) X' U( C- I> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' C( r( T7 n) H# t> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  w5 ?( w. b% F, j4 j> 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
) v+ r8 k+ O+ `1 |> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
% `4 Z* S1 n/ W7 `% w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
) f# d# y5 }8 F& |, {6 H) ]0 Y> 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
( X: L8 u$ {* L: }> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
% `7 X' j/ h9 o1 D& w> next at bat.
>
7 R8 K; |6 y4 D9 J. O, X. H4 e5 e> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
" U% \: f8 c; O& H> 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.
> 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
8 c5 J) b( U4 N7 B0 [: {% G; P> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
$ _2 K8 d- h2 d  f% X# D) 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.
9 Q6 f- n) n8 X/ ~( G  B9 y; [8 s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 c$ S/ R" v9 z8 e6 {> right back to the pitcher.
>
6 D) o7 Z3 {+ y4 C1 t9 G7 G% [> 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
> 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,
. h0 ?7 V5 K  ?* S3 f9 n> wide-eyed and startled.
>
  f& ^0 x: `3 V% x& D2 R> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
, f( k) H; i  V6 o4 i  M( @7 R3 ?3 P> 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
9 Z7 o/ I" n8 Y) p9 l# a" T> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
% f- k% H, J% c1 H5 I> 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'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( i: F" a/ u6 q; [. Z> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
. q0 E- ]6 k. ]. C( p> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
$ t' n: J- b$ |- i; K8 H: X> 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.
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> '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
/ Z) a+ D( B* e9 |. ]! @8 f- h& w# D> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
: x3 `0 M2 k1 t$ |; R: Y0 I- V> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
3 e7 F3 _; D6 ^1 b5 m% t> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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( K( r& A5 v* m7 w: n. j3 W> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
! L* e& O9 r# S3 ?7 U> 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
2 P3 O0 ^7 S% V( W8 ~$ P> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
/ \7 [, o- _% m% U8 o9 ?> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
0 o& E" v4 b/ K- U. E> 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
, @; f1 a# u6 m: W# r3 z7 N> '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
  n  Y9 Q5 E  H$ Q1 ?> 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
> bit colder in the process?
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9 m# H1 G/ Y% e; R) L> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* O! f6 J0 H6 ^3 Q; J% q> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.