Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
2 \, E4 x# k) I- M/ {% H* `> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
; J/ n$ q5 g4 I" |8 l; L+ ^> same choice?
>
> 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
' O6 p3 E9 B1 E9 E; J4 X7 f> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
5 ^/ [% }3 P9 w/ D1 H( L2 o, a> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
5 V7 E8 l% G& z& e. ?+ c> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
" F  W8 t& a, C  h: r% e> The audience was stilled by the query.
7 E3 ]4 W+ L! o4 g2 G>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
. G1 I3 b2 o) L* ?3 `> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 H! B! C9 t) w8 c5 k> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
6 a! f& w$ C' U, `% Y> 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,
> 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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3 H5 C0 I4 G% f1 H, u> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 P9 w; G6 w0 D2 \5 z3 B> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
4 l5 ~" T: N1 e: \- t" k> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
0 i) O9 `- q9 ~! D; u1 s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> 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
+ ^/ f  F6 z  Q& N/ r( ^$ }> 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
$ @) K; P: [- Y" \9 x> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
9 Q7 v! o7 z, A7 K) T* B> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
4 S  W( Q* k/ f, g> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
* W1 k+ `) w& l* V  L' B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
) C  D8 Y. l2 \. j9 Z> 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
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
6 T- z% r+ W/ B/ n4 P> 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
  R4 }4 b6 C! s0 r> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
7 N- O4 x9 R9 n% D. s6 Y1 _> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
" D4 m4 Q% C3 p6 I) G> 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
> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 c& O: S- X" N$ L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
; J' F5 ^7 c( N> 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.
>
7 _3 K% ^, w2 z/ k1 q  \5 a. B, c; @: b> 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
9 B1 x; e) @, S9 v$ V9 r> 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
2 s0 x* j/ H/ m2 \  P> 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
> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
5 K# o9 n  [$ V2 S$ f# x> circled the bases toward home.
>
; Z6 [7 J/ X8 C0 J> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
4 J! u  y8 ]* c) k6 |* V/ K* r/ b> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
  A! z+ a) q. H! W> 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
> into this world'.
>
( l) L& j# `7 o# T& J+ z> 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!
>
* u9 N- F" H6 K> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
0 A- [: g$ }: @. G7 h& @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
9 H- S1 Q8 w! H2 U. U> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
1 G+ P) Z; O8 M5 U% H> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
+ [0 @: S: C/ L> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, j. W, x0 \2 g2 q' w( ?+ [> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
6 n$ Y, L; ]2 h8 s* j0 r: e> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 }! k( c4 E( ]8 i& g+ n> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
+ X9 d, a( ^  Z9 ]/ M# r> 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
- z2 P- K$ Z3 l6 w* U) _> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
- v$ K: ~) }, ]. }2 Z! _8 t0 K> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ w7 S/ e) H5 B! i> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
, d1 ^4 m" j; g( d( {  i> 2. Forward
>
! }8 w4 c& A, z1 S8 {* Y2 m> May your day, be a Shay Day.