Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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0 ]& O+ a4 j# O$ u: D) A; q) Y( s> 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
# I, H+ c' ?# C8 v> same choice?
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& D3 q5 U" b( ~9 a+ k& F1 m0 s2 Q> 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
& Y  x5 P% R( R* r: n> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 ^' B; \1 u9 M( p3 |> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
; L$ Z# u/ T( y' y7 d* _' V5 c> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  i; o# T$ N" e0 P6 u9 }- R> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
5 F" ^/ a! [' H& a- b4 H> natural order of things in my son?'
>
2 y3 V  s$ V) F8 @& k. N; g> 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
  I/ w* y* v/ \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
# D3 `' g3 h/ V  ^5 ?> 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
1 a" x" |+ n: _1 @> 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
> 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
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
: r7 n) Y& [1 x> 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
1 Y7 k. P9 C# J2 [$ i( W* K3 [> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
" a- z+ _. o$ z$ p6 R. y, b> 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
> 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
6 `4 E  O8 @1 |: x" G$ z1 Z3 e" ^> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
+ \. E% P! s. Q% D8 Y> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
% O# b6 @7 ~! I5 ?! t- {> 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
; h# w) l3 k9 R% [9 q0 D. }> 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
/ l8 M- `! w% @" }> 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
" n# R% M$ Q9 A0 L" I) m1 r" b$ K> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
& P! [6 R5 W. [$ g3 j' R: e0 E$ ^> 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.
>
> 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
5 w7 V- U. r* S% \> 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,
3 q$ ]* h- p1 Y6 [1 ~% ]0 P3 i% j> wide-eyed and startled.
>
" |$ t0 z3 T+ v* j( d6 X> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 ?8 {' ]( s# A! ~5 f7 ~2 c' w) e> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
. x: ~6 F) }6 J1 A1 g6 R: M8 |> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, l) J% B1 N8 G8 y> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; {0 z9 |' M  ^' ]. F8 s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
/ t) {1 J- B, W3 f. [> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, t; _1 {7 u* {( F* p> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
6 L2 W( w) b: q9 x  Z% T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. F2 l, T* x% [2 r" U* @> 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!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
6 o1 c3 e7 S: T( f: ^8 `> 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
8 g, p! G# O- y' z9 \) h> game for his team.
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> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: J8 E4 l$ ]2 m2 A. B' s% \> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> 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!
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" W4 s5 p7 D* p> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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, l+ y/ |/ I) ^4 }9 \- [> 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
4 y$ ?/ a. R& u3 {6 B; W) M7 ~! v4 s> '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
; C1 [3 l% p# W8 }! m% Q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* |) x/ ~1 E3 d% T: A9 y9 x2 J6 u> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
) x$ t+ N* T4 v* w% {5 K+ v> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
$ ^# C5 Q$ w5 D2 r1 j& ]! }( _> bit colder in the process?
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. I0 A5 |1 h9 Q/ o& N> A wise man once said every society is judged by
& l; `- [/ V9 L5 I9 `$ R) Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.