Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' M! o1 B( n  i  B7 ?  W! ]4 z7 L> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 w: x) H' x. S  v6 c> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
1 P, Z- }( ^" M0 P& Y1 C2 J> 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
# o) j+ Z" T0 s0 y> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* ?% d, J/ K# q$ v6 w> 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
) V) e6 u4 {, z0 t> natural order of things in my son?'
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, \, D- c2 ~# _  c9 L> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ H0 T1 R' x3 Z2 G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
2 X+ `4 {! F1 @/ t> treat that child.'
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3 H6 c5 _# }: C& a& s( e3 R, m> Then he told the following story:
>
6 f% t8 B6 H* w/ a% I3 s> 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
" }/ c' A& g2 l8 j# d, 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,
/ _- R' g; B0 k" m3 \3 u> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& c* H' K: w& d$ L- T> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
5 X* a6 S& D7 Y4 n# c' N. r> 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
( ]8 i* \4 l7 D; Q8 L0 N6 u) r/ z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 B& s+ [3 ?2 _: L) Y/ L/ g' ~5 p( |> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
, N) N4 u( G1 ~# Q; g) s( H, q> inning.'
>
> 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
> 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
3 O! o+ d  E( o% u0 T& [7 @1 |7 a3 v> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
4 y/ ?4 I: U6 v! ^; 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
> 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
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
2 L# O% e# c% b1 R  ?# j$ x> 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.
> 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
$ c$ F" C  a! K4 x3 y* D> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
  y, E; {0 J$ G( c$ s1 \" x; m1 |> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! ~' T9 s' s+ M" v6 W/ {+ n- Q, k6 d5 ^" w> 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
6 i+ E4 f( P6 }1 q> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; z' ^/ r( c0 W0 f, C" V> 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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! B: y4 L3 |- Y# `  s3 Q) I8 W/ ]> 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
0 x6 q% t5 H4 f4 M7 ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 U3 g) C2 z2 {. {+ ?! F; ?> 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
> 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
: M1 U/ y* o' ]+ c1 E* J> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
4 e) K8 ]$ L# c8 m* Y9 _> 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
0 C* t, w9 [  e* W: m> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 v9 p: `( V9 a& p3 ]  ~7 g> circled the bases toward home.
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4 i' T1 Q# z, l# T" X5 |> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
9 e! x5 Q. o* T; W, M/ ?5 @( T> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
! i8 L) v) Z3 j( b0 @0 g5 V1 U, o> 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
> 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,
) O: ^( V- L3 l2 z> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
) F( k' k1 c& N8 G$ d# e> 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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) G3 _# [+ e8 O% s, e> 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
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
" O3 w/ d% T1 @6 U/ d( Q> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
; [5 y2 V) v& y+ S6 W, 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
0 E4 t! t. X: P7 n/ H# J9 X! r> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
0 W5 o* X! m7 b> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
9 B3 z& a2 Y. a+ k* W# g: H> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
9 T" h/ H. d  _0 T: y> 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
6 R6 [) J0 U! [1 R+ c" L> bit colder in the process?
>
( I9 H$ Z  K% G5 |3 \* P2 d> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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9 D$ @4 [* \5 _7 K" j* G  F> You now have two choices:
. m( `9 E& M7 e9 Y: U/ K. M> 1. Delete
9 _# w* l! b- w' K4 a% c: g) U> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.