Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' k: L: ?  ?! ]& ?) o( W6 w9 c> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
" o; s4 Q" _* U/ t# ]; g3 V> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
( j; R# d: [: Z& a> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
2 ]! r8 O/ g+ ?+ o, T1 b> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
  T; i& ]2 m9 ]' w; F$ ^0 k* s> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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, U+ n4 H6 V& X& F& D/ e( X  I* J9 l' p> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
' F. s0 T' N- M8 S4 ]% g  S> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
" U# X; {' E$ Q4 a> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
& K7 X5 v6 {  ~  F7 ?- v! p) k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 V8 e  T4 L9 ]0 [0 R> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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% x* M; ~. ?4 _- \, ~> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
5 V' Y" r: O% T  v8 I1 [> 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
* r2 J! B; ~) X> 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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. l' I6 O, r3 G, ^) g& i" ~> 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
! }3 a5 M- B: p' b/ |# [+ \> inning.'
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- l# s' }7 h1 W> 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
% X; @* N5 |$ @9 d! ^+ C# {; q8 G> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
* M7 L$ n) V3 o: z> 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
> 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
( c! M% g+ N! G& d- b3 Y> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
; t* h. [! n$ P5 a$ n* N7 i> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 \* B/ K* n6 X$ f> next at bat.
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> 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
/ A# S4 k0 q1 n- q6 l7 u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
) N# Z4 n, Y! y( ]* O$ |> 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
3 i. l+ ~' O2 L3 N% S! h> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
5 D& j; R/ P% G+ N> 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.
2 M! I6 ?  ^1 L7 v# P> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
" b( s1 d2 ^9 x# n" O, n> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
% O; F+ H- y: L% l0 f" U& Y> 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.
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. X. J' L' c6 Q# B6 y5 H! j% Y' ?& w> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
0 U' {9 h: O- O8 Z/ `& l" z> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
7 }( x" w1 J* b# R* J> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
4 b; O; V0 {9 W( N' Y> 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
! [9 d' B- s& ]( M> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
+ y* C8 P/ O. _* q( k> 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
& A! Y( _3 @8 Y4 h: Y2 o$ o% N! `> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
8 C& B; L3 }% V% i+ b) |> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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! J& _& d$ V& @  {, j> 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
; x/ x4 x2 L7 o- F3 [* x> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
6 T7 e' |1 ^7 l5 v' \( a9 }> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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.
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> '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
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> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
4 w+ e$ _2 ^% k3 }> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
& q% w5 F6 E! z8 C> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 `9 y2 n) B$ [1 C1 ^' c> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 h- q1 W9 x5 |  ]> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
' S. d% u- u% j  ?5 V# g) u' R. Q> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
; M5 d6 N+ Y; G( `. d  l6 j; G> 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
# Q0 _! s- J9 [9 R> 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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 t! V+ A8 |3 G> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
6 K7 j) E8 U8 A> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
' B! U1 x. [5 }$ Z& y- j> bit colder in the process?
>
) W- c) W& c6 U0 p> A wise man once said every society is judged by
$ g: U, R0 f; g" a: m; i2 f> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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6 e& K+ K+ S) Z: Y7 r2 r" {2 a  m" e> You now have two choices:
4 S5 Y+ E& t( R& s8 Q( d5 W! n> 1. Delete
$ y( k, J  @. W2 S# q& a> 2. Forward
>
1 u# b+ m4 r$ C> May your day, be a Shay Day.