Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
0 y8 w. A/ ~; z) T4 M$ g5 g> 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,
/ {/ `4 D( m7 S# t" E> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
4 t" t$ P8 e  F5 l/ n5 I; x9 ]> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 `9 E7 `/ J5 l# Q0 a$ N* B8 r4 _7 m> 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
# V* i8 T+ L0 z' z; m; R: W> natural order of things in my son?'
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; A. H2 a5 ?5 d# P  b$ y( f' H" M0 t> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> 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
6 Q0 x, Z; U. Z. S4 `6 Z0 W+ \> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
+ w! e: V% t  F4 W9 O0 j( |# h> 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
> 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
; U! ^8 h# R+ L! w> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
, C+ Q* m# x7 Q! j> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 o' e+ k* [$ _. @" X. M0 u> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 y" ^) P# h" G/ q) _2 _> inning.'
>
# g$ K; n/ ]$ D3 g5 v4 V' D6 V8 u) b> 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
2 I8 B* R. Z1 @) ^> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& d' w; J$ |% ]: o, a6 T. H3 `> 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
> 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
% K+ A' F8 e, W" G> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
# y- t" \$ d. ?: h5 ^> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
5 v; S. p  C8 Q+ [( A0 X0 E" g: W" p> 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,
9 d- O% N. M0 D7 [/ U+ o> much less connect with the ball.
5 z8 B7 p; n  k' `* r* ?* d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
, ?- F: P3 Q$ q+ T> 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
6 Y! a) N7 @" d& M& O> 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.
>
* k' b4 i: |" [2 ^/ @/ }> 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
& W+ s" K! P( C8 P$ E; w> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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$ _2 w. C% P; F1 k6 {> 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
( M7 c- @! c9 p$ w% B0 f> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
! k; M1 |0 t5 D) H) h! s1 ^5 B) J> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
0 l6 i2 G) y; \+ 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
/ M' ^% v' i- H" c> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 m2 e+ N* C8 s- |> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
4 w1 p* U& z; \" L7 V1 v) T3 G> 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
" g0 w: u$ p3 V5 c' ?> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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6 e# [) C$ B/ H- c: U: Q9 r. `" x# F> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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6 B/ f# D  E& S4 f- v& i# t  U, o> 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!
8 x, I& V; Y- i7 R2 U" J- ^' y> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
) b9 L+ `$ @9 T# A# w. ^9 p+ P/ D> game for his team.
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$ D- W+ J3 J: Y+ b. A> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. C7 D% n8 @. r2 m4 U* D> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
1 _7 r- @; @: ]  X> into this world'.
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) s6 _7 V, |: z% D& B> 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!
>
; X4 U% T( J- B  G7 D* `> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
  }& s! N, R) x" j/ J( X5 U) {> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
; @: I! t+ `7 {# q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 Q5 H) X5 a3 h; `6 n  S4 O0 Y> 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
> 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
6 S; h/ b) @- B# S8 O> 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
, R- `' N; J2 n4 |7 Y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
" A' D5 C5 n/ x> 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
* k& {$ B' ^, }8 S> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
3 s8 D- b. J0 a3 C> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
1 {6 a6 g7 r, c/ b  o2 @> 1. Delete
( ^# S# @# Q$ G% E/ I1 ]> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.