Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
1 D) w: L8 Q3 P8 o% `$ ^: Q> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
/ j, w9 o- G) c" f6 v. Q( {8 E> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
' F( M) e5 a% D) P* h: i9 @) w> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
3 y5 m8 d9 I- {# @# U> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 ^" n. w1 n+ S> staff, he offered a question:
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  b7 {; g( X' M1 H> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! K" B8 R( M: H( {& K4 c) R> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
& ~% q6 }4 z/ }6 d# M7 B7 R; ]> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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* T- Y# g2 b! {9 C$ l: u$ C( d* t> The audience was stilled by the query.
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/ B) Y' G) U( R' d8 s" j! H3 }> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* r& N  {: L& C! M> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
- A: k' `5 v' V> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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( y! O& f) n# i) p4 E$ K2 Q+ m> 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
7 F1 F. {2 u) K. Z! v* W' ~> 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
) k9 e5 A) y& a; [' {> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# E8 f6 B) i, c- f  i2 H> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
5 C1 w# G/ R+ F7 _* n6 b, ]> 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.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
; R, C% N+ h' d9 f0 D1 v> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
7 f5 r; B! H9 m% q  F3 O+ X> 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
> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! I9 N) a9 i9 \+ h> 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
6 y  m; c5 X: {4 z7 W> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: X8 H% W5 s5 E) y& D> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
! i. R' B& Z' H1 L! U0 f  O" ?> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
$ Q  D5 W1 w6 k& o( W. b> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
3 S+ e  k' C6 W6 K; ?( ]$ b1 \> much less connect with the ball.
4 s' I8 O# W  g* x> 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
" l+ A1 h* m4 l# z& i3 m> 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.
/ F" O1 g0 f, n9 v! d3 s> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
& o$ Y5 `7 D  J0 a+ c1 ~, U! c: c& u> right back to the pitcher.
>
/ ~) l- @1 [7 p! l: B> 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
% m7 R- h' }% R; H> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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- s: y  {$ B* d' m' ?6 Y. m> 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
9 P9 t" |7 {, K: W6 _; Z> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
3 l) H2 b' ?- j0 Y6 M9 N% i% M> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 |* G7 ^9 W. H; W9 C6 ]> 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
> 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
% l0 j- e0 [+ v, D2 M' q* B' I9 L> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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& d0 b8 y' n" }4 i4 U5 a2 T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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, j2 Z: ]1 _: A> 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!
" s9 Z5 j! C: `: h. E' o. l> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
2 U& j0 w/ V; @( s% G- F> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
% Y" C. L) ^7 j4 n( p/ J> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
/ v( c: B8 c/ U- U$ i# c6 F> '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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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" ~9 L! I8 q8 I+ ^: W1 S8 X7 M> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
- a- }5 b9 G' Z4 T1 c; L3 E9 r> 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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+ }& }& W5 A& b3 ^- U> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
* b. r7 R. v& K) E% Y0 y> 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
( |. r9 C6 w, p6 A) y$ J4 X> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
: H+ o  ?& {5 R, B3 c; v> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> 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
% z, m: g+ D/ }4 p- g2 q% V> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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+ F1 W# B/ p" g. [, t/ X> 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
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.