Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
& i! n3 ]* D6 |/ @3 k9 f% h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
! Q% O- y2 W; S> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> 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
9 |# m# s6 @3 o. I- C) H5 V* J. x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
% e6 @! E7 m. C+ x> natural order of things in my son?'
( t7 M0 b2 @4 Q: E/ F: |+ r9 i>
0 Z. e* S5 T- w7 p> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( N$ J/ v3 N( u2 }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
: F0 P, U% f5 b( o* E4 R> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
* ]; o( _$ K) C9 D  k> treat that child.'
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4 }" f1 S: H1 i. R$ G+ w; u> Then he told the following story:
>
+ m+ M/ O" `! Z! N, i$ a. r, c& @> 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
: }- `2 g( W! k( ]" L0 W2 q1 r) T! v> 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
: q& e6 _- J9 S  }8 }$ m> 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
6 U9 q9 f2 g1 R- Y7 ?> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
# \* _8 x- Y6 ^) y) d> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' n" ^: t, u) p" C: H! B: t5 ^> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 R7 X& d' L% x  s2 v  b> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
8 f0 k' p. R, f0 {% p( B> 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
* x) \9 n4 v6 C3 B> 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.
>
* V2 L" \7 P% b5 H5 L2 V; W> 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,
0 V$ E% R1 B: _& G. n' c! m> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
. x& O' f2 J8 D6 Y; M# w$ Z8 [5 _6 D  @> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
. u0 T/ i* f1 V3 Y+ H> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
- ?$ ]! B9 f. r> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! H2 r' P  e" a/ a> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
1 @" ~+ `+ o* e. K  m> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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/ P) l# M0 U- p& E; F% l> 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
> 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
> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ D0 P. m! ?: M3 U9 E! z> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 Y. Z: z- e/ O4 v> 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
6 q3 {9 A( ?# [" v: V> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
; h: e/ A0 t' d6 a6 l" p2 P! c% L> 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
. M$ j7 V% [. f3 R/ }> 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'
>
4 s3 p, Y4 x( `5 ^0 q> 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
4 {. t* d5 R/ d> 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
; ?* H$ i& t8 g8 D> game for his team.
2 U) E8 I1 |/ y+ Z% ]>
- C6 e" J6 D( b0 g> '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
( ?/ Z  ]0 v: q> into this world'.
>
4 {8 ?8 J. ^2 Q/ e) e> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 J" l9 g. J# {* T" `+ ~% Q( _) Q8 {> 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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3 e4 w0 P8 Q( Y- f) \* T/ a! ^4 ^3 X> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
* E3 X" H: G+ o  p; u> 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
+ q: Q  u  T7 R, m; ^. Z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
  g) v) {4 A2 }$ J>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
1 L3 H0 v+ h" M3 k9 o& h# p$ \1 q> 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
2 ?3 @. L; q) |9 Y6 L> 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
8 h9 T5 ]& v9 N" F4 O> 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
> bit colder in the process?
( ~+ V% c9 c' U' d4 h>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
+ E( ?; {% E7 |0 t. @! E; l> 1. Delete
" ?9 V" x3 f: ~- ]! K8 w. I> 2. Forward
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4 K, n# }$ U- v$ K( ]* E& T> May your day, be a Shay Day.