Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& {# p" _: t- \! s% b> 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
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
* Q$ S9 m5 T9 `! q, q> 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
7 }  g& e1 c2 _7 J% e/ l> staff, he offered a question:
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8 @: T. E$ E  p# |> '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
) Q/ G+ D' h0 a9 }4 K6 z8 D> natural order of things in my son?'
* u$ z$ H& H/ x. I' C, j- t- D& F>
+ u$ @- w9 i5 @( N3 d> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
$ b7 i0 a1 H9 N> 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
> treat that child.'
7 F) p  r& {5 ?, w# }5 i8 u>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> 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
> 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,
' v/ H) M! D5 v! v: C> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
" E* q+ {! L8 O" y  C> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* J, x( r- k! S# W! @" I> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
* z7 q+ J. M* g3 ~' ?3 _( q" m> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
! r2 [5 Z, M9 L2 A& z> 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
8 e) {* Q# W% L# Y> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
& C  _4 K' e; ~6 U0 e> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
% m, c9 o9 a( L6 N4 G4 B# c> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ |0 ^5 q6 w( g& I> 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
" o6 s5 F% u  \* G. H3 t> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
$ b7 u2 D# ?. b0 x" p$ j> 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
8 n4 |& L8 Z* `1 e> next at bat.
2 h( @$ c) @. p- O, P$ ~>
6 z  h+ J  ?) I7 _0 Q: c2 t; V; X> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ L' i' p: ^5 ]' {$ d> 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
& p: J7 G9 ^% _0 f> 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
* X0 }3 ^# F2 ~> 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
+ M0 O1 \" U- O! y* i' h7 e> right back to the pitcher.
>
> 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
. D! Z6 b- x% T4 s1 Z# O6 N> 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
+ X( ^( O2 _$ o  l# H> 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,
1 ~0 Z! R& W) ~6 N> wide-eyed and startled.
4 B7 J$ @  U( q6 v>
> 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
# l: u6 C( J# L: ~/ R2 }7 g> 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
1 q. d; R  a: {- p> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
: b( [& r9 G1 G3 ^) A3 X! [! z1 o6 v> circled the bases toward home.
% ~3 m8 b; }9 u  y5 x. c% N* H" R>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
1 Z) i/ K9 z, _6 ~8 |/ ~1 T. Q> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
$ U" W+ p+ E, J0 O> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
2 Q- C9 [- {' G7 r- R>
8 x2 ~% t3 Z) S9 p( {0 ~2 I, z: D> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 D  p% ]9 i7 `2 Z$ k2 W: O> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
/ ?# o- t# C2 p4 R$ y! U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
8 @- I) C# m1 E, \) o' x+ M> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
8 h" n+ x( }/ j# J+ X3 ]3 A( i> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
/ `0 e( _2 g. W5 ?4 L> into this world'.
>
+ k4 ]+ I8 G, _" T> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 p$ C$ _; Z9 n> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. F0 G, h) g% x4 q7 }2 Y> 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.
8 x8 ]$ ^+ I2 Y! a7 w- l>
> 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
. |: \7 l# T+ \* o+ q> 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
. h, x1 e2 E, Q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
+ P9 F4 ]3 M+ {1 \; s2 p8 L> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
) J4 [5 D8 I! F. E# C> bit colder in the process?
0 W3 D. W4 e& Y>
- K0 Z5 Z$ i* L9 }" u& x1 {/ l# p> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
. S- ]/ d5 S, H6 p, o/ \* e1 L9 P1 b>
3 \+ J9 ^6 g3 k' t# O> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
4 O! t0 Y9 _7 Z2 G1 n4 s6 `>
- Q! \& W) g5 \2 R& _% g; [> May your day, be a Shay Day.