Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
% J0 A' N! o9 o1 X. F> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
$ Y) A0 [  z) i' k7 O1 I( W> same choice?
>
: l  u2 k* M* Y: j5 Z> 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
) m% k8 r* \$ A" y2 `) m" A* i> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
7 z3 [/ \! C: Z% z: z> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 G' G- S9 N; j$ p4 x; x& c> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
7 @( }6 D7 B, ?( s* D+ Y> 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.
>
/ i  N! O" Y; A, p9 Z7 V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 `; R5 u; k& i# _> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
  W- H4 }% l& {" E% K> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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$ T* v- J/ U7 `$ F; ^+ x3 u$ H> 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
) J/ m0 C, v5 r2 B" g0 V> 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,
* M$ U( ]8 H( k% Q9 m> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
- `4 W$ H) [- H" }> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
! M- V6 y! A5 M- D! }> 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
+ |0 N! P! y' D0 L. J> inning.'
>
$ k; ^( \" P/ |/ O> 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
> 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
0 G# `2 y6 a+ ]> 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
2 p9 d* z; V: ]2 E$ ~: A/ o> 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
5 V# [' k- [8 \/ m# l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
1 u/ h8 {0 ^4 `/ K  J0 ]1 `> 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
> 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.
> 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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2 D5 j: n+ n7 Q6 V/ K8 _6 d> 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
6 Y* L% S( s$ ]> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
$ d, C) F" \1 i/ q6 }: E( q> 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
! `' {/ x- Q2 E, Q) K> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) d# H7 [7 F5 [4 V> 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
% ?1 m7 G; i( F- O# F> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
5 C4 X3 o- q+ h% K> 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,
8 y4 d, Z( l3 {; @3 ]% T> 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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' P) \$ }4 D' W& B1 }9 N2 d1 t; M( E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
# {6 L; t2 k3 Y2 V, K. D% ^0 V> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
* ~# x& E% Q1 K  A> Shay, run to third!'
>
5 w- \4 `8 ^  F; `> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
) K9 i2 @2 }$ M# c0 C- G& N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ A" [  w3 t9 y9 ~# k> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
! B' R& F6 I5 b4 e5 k; _6 c7 }> game for his team.
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) K$ @6 w  Y$ [0 {! r> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
, T3 Z6 A* N7 h+ H> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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& k* S' O8 l- W> 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!
>
' j/ E1 n1 a) U8 z! h" h3 t> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 b( L* O- p9 y$ u' L> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 ]7 O. S! b8 N. e- ~7 Z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
4 S. T" O7 t2 X! p5 M) r0 I  Y6 a> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
" Q$ s) V7 ^# K' M> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
% U4 g/ \& a) p7 P> 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
5 c7 v) P6 b  I) P7 h8 l3 m; g3 C( I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
! j3 ^0 Q7 B: u& `* k9 `> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 V% X- j5 g, P9 P( f+ v7 v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
% b; [0 o3 `% ]4 |* v  t, x> bit colder in the process?
>
4 u- j3 @: I6 V- o' k8 W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
/ b& I! u& x0 q) ?: L> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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) f6 ^: C" C' t> May your day, be a Shay Day.