Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ `- v0 ~* @+ j$ w> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) v/ u- L% S% I# d" Y& \> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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& ^0 B; [5 r# Z( W> 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:
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% X+ w- F* I+ b) n> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 k; k& E9 B" ^  Z1 q> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
8 {' P+ z9 e. y) Z; g1 Z+ {> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
# i" Z- `; q. \5 r! M' K> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: i9 }$ r$ W) S1 J3 p8 v8 [' c> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
% q. W9 t2 j0 _* C% `> treat that child.'
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0 s8 V. u/ `0 @2 L" H> 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
8 `& T2 ~7 y# g* q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
6 [# N, W4 z. [. ?2 j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
0 j4 {* s+ V! ~> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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! o& c* d6 X6 ?8 R> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
4 ~0 F2 N' k/ w- V$ I> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
( t! s% L: n3 g8 f> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% S# Z5 V7 h& K9 Y4 q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
0 V6 F3 _2 t2 b7 I3 w> inning.'
>
5 f( T) d3 i/ i8 }: y> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' o# g, f. \* b9 p( M8 t) Z> 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
! i  ]$ ~" W) y. W& `> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
* w- _  J8 {) Z7 Y' w. v1 O* R> 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
! n, g$ a) i% J( w> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
! R6 Q9 F  g( q! k5 ^> 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
& A1 C, u6 w! @> 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
: `" t, l0 K. H  C$ ~6 n2 P> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
8 e, i% d; y7 X; l# V6 F> 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
* q! W2 O3 x/ g0 x8 g$ o8 s& p$ P> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
# I9 Q3 b; i4 }+ ]: e+ j4 y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ _+ h5 s% f! k9 f/ \  m$ @$ U- S/ i> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ `! ~) ]( W1 z> 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
# O2 j& o, s) }/ k. E> 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
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
7 x& j) |8 E. \* j  C5 [> 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
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. v0 W3 ^- R8 G. l1 ]> 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
: K+ q1 j0 E: l> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
! g6 g: ~# n1 I) p# t> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
8 g2 a: P3 F+ o( H7 z> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 ]* i; |! R6 `5 {> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
/ f% y* G1 E3 }7 s  K2 G) t> 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 n2 i0 i; ]: q& I> 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
5 W  i7 a7 f8 E; ^. o3 R" o> into this world'.
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> 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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: S4 b% _+ d+ \> 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
+ y- e  [* P! y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
3 C7 G7 t: b, _; G4 k8 C0 z8 |> 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
7 T8 @0 J9 P1 B  K, k, |+ s> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 P3 m: k( k  ]& t' g/ J1 p# z> '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
0 g+ c% q$ [4 Z7 ^8 X> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
1 M: q/ ?9 v9 ]0 K> 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
- m- M  F0 P# Q" I# L4 O+ [& u> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) f" q  ^$ o2 `4 v% l9 S1 q5 ~$ I  f> bit colder in the process?
>
/ }3 u8 j+ S: X7 s( t7 e) j8 n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
. j. g: e5 Z/ O- r7 e( e' f( O> May your day, be a Shay Day.