Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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. J4 n* p4 o$ t8 U1 k, n7 }, {> 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
) {  d) |4 H, a8 b) n) t> same choice?
>
% d0 ^  X+ W% j9 @  W+ \5 R> 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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5 U) y! \4 s# L3 N$ d% d" t" r- [> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
0 U0 a# u; k# e+ d2 y( 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
' @3 u9 l! f* Y! {9 E- z, F0 a. J> natural order of things in my son?'
>
: S; `1 c4 z% f3 ^  ?' B( G* [> The audience was stilled by the query.
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/ V0 {/ u# a: a% b" o8 h2 @# |/ d> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
7 O8 ?9 I$ r; G4 L& j. t* i> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ ]6 k/ F& _9 K$ @> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
& ]+ i0 s' b' R2 \> treat that child.'
>
* @7 A! u2 B) k/ r4 ?> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  J& u- {% W" ^) K# a! D# u> 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
5 x' I' F9 T3 ~3 g2 a, d3 w> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- e3 H6 r9 `7 t! s1 c1 D> 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.'
>
6 V: [  z4 K- ]4 b" f/ i> 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
5 {. c, _+ ]# l7 l> 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 [' y+ G3 p, K> 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
! [; k) h. x8 T% d3 ~1 M2 L3 ~1 u7 a: p> 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
8 A8 F5 k# B* O& I> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
: N2 {" Z5 c  m' o( g> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
6 f/ v, n% |, R& J> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
5 W; ~. p  [- z! t> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
) ]: o: m  t, Z$ B2 n" s( G> right back to the pitcher.
>
$ T+ V7 G: J7 x4 q> 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
3 k$ h) V& h9 m5 A> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
4 }. c5 ]) H' `$ s> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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4 U& G8 }% Z8 x5 A1 p> 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
% O* K0 }6 d% `; C; T5 Y> 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,
. i6 y' m) x* _> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( `, N9 M; E% H! ~( l" `+ B) g0 r6 C> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
# O; E+ }+ `- g+ A- {' [> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
7 C1 V: b9 z, n& x5 O( W& Q/ {> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
" ]; f: L% g, ~7 v) G/ a0 I> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
3 C! w0 ]: V" b4 H4 b> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
  E( `' d( f* d' h# ~> game for his team.
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) V8 @$ k. E4 h3 b% [7 w> '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
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) _; U+ n3 h, S) |+ Q; {* B5 [2 q> 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!
>
> 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
& n; W5 ?4 J. S7 m; k! K> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
8 G1 Z' G* O, c0 z- d. N> 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
$ h/ @( Y9 O' u1 H" F+ j* B> '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
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
/ Z1 `/ e/ @2 W> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
* d7 M+ P% K3 ^6 E> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
* |9 j' J3 S5 Z/ x# L> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
. H8 e9 q( N* q/ [; S2 x9 S> You now have two choices:
! L4 y1 q1 k5 y1 ?) S> 1. Delete
1 t1 q& G- Z& H! \; {( U> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.