Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
) P2 M2 y! D4 l3 {( B8 R> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. E" ]! x* B! i5 \7 w: D> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 S% y; `1 J. x& |, C0 X> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
4 Z- g% C' d7 l* o> staff, he offered a question:
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# m; R1 z7 s- }2 K: u0 y0 c> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 r& {2 r: V! @4 N: {> 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
5 ]/ f' E" E& \& h2 N5 l> natural order of things in my son?'
>
# Y7 |& E' f( \> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> 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
0 s* W& r1 ~" t2 s5 _% g. \! U> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 i* m- I: V1 J9 _" ^' k' m& |) p> 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
9 V+ M+ u3 G, N. A6 x" ~5 O> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
4 w0 Q& F% E2 j7 g( k> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
4 s( s) `" ?+ \3 ?# y  v! R2 K7 V, F> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
' u' [, l% c* U6 U. X( {. x0 m> 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
( F1 L5 L/ X! V$ S> inning.'
>
0 y7 v. ~9 Y  A/ {) f> 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
! b$ m* ~" m0 z/ T/ O' i; ~> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 o# p, @' O" `+ n4 w" T> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
! L: A' P' o- L. s/ `> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 ?- j; q+ Z$ x2 D$ C9 N> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
, b' P: `! K; V> 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
. K( _; L9 N$ C/ s8 }> 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
9 l; L; r$ K1 N3 u$ l> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
0 x3 j# F7 j5 J; P0 B" e* g# N> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
  z+ O" H2 r; K% l3 x; v> 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.
. ?  ]& x1 [/ l7 w, r2 e$ B" Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
9 n0 S$ d6 v& N/ X3 E> right back to the pitcher.
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& k! K. V% Q& `$ Y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
4 \& x" X5 F7 T% }; A> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
6 m" ~9 E9 A: h: W% v! D> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
' C4 [3 Z( n# w> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
- H- y1 }! H& Q- ^> 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
4 c, q9 s: J5 K% E* B. \> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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: P( P, B8 ^8 s2 i  C> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( e$ f9 d/ u% I' Y2 q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
2 t1 a$ v! D- g$ q> 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
> game for his team.
>
* w2 _# Z# F/ A7 Q% P( P> '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
6 ?; Y+ W: |5 m; b% H; L; d8 M> into this world'.
>
6 Q6 J* @# k( I! {4 M> 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
& S) w- w, T  h$ R9 L4 X> 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
! |4 |% F9 Y( ]5 R> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
& Y) l# S+ e' L% u6 Y> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
& x, U0 p% N/ u5 t" \* W> bit colder in the process?
>
( c& ~4 `; w2 o+ }2 o1 p+ i> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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, e4 j4 Z9 \4 l- K# }$ F9 l> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.