Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# R5 u5 K# @4 u$ l- u! a> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
* X8 H2 U! j( G8 ]% l> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( Z# p) D& _7 ]& P$ Y> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  K# s' u6 h1 W1 O- E/ @> 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
) E4 }, ^! m/ \5 _2 F> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! h9 ~$ z# ~  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
* L& I. ]0 d. _' b6 `3 Q> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
( A6 Z9 \' g. }0 _& y- A* D0 M> 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.'
>
% T5 O: J- U& a# k( A% [7 x% Z> Then he told the following story:
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> 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
! _/ d! X" L8 e$ U4 ~6 F> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
3 b: E4 g3 w/ X' E& 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.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# p& N. J- Z, Q, u9 {> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
& }3 z( i" U0 @4 M  ]7 e$ M> 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 C* }. m1 `, l* ~> inning.'
7 F  D0 e/ }( k. A8 }: B>
> 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
, {% r% V5 A1 V/ a  X> 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
> 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.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
, b+ O* C: o1 F+ ]# }/ \0 Z2 d7 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.
  [8 g, z+ v' x# a/ P0 Y# h, [/ {1 p> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 h) c0 F4 N& _- D& C; e> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
% R- }, T; ?3 m$ V, D! n' g/ t8 _$ o9 x> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
8 d0 M, w  A) S. S1 u> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- B8 x( W5 l5 W$ t$ f> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
; b+ Q# j$ U% Q" J; G4 }> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> 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
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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) N6 h% v% B* J1 m" K/ j> 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,
% ]7 h/ j+ Q/ q2 E% Y$ V> wide-eyed and startled.
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# s# j8 W4 Z% m, Y$ ?> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- ?4 f9 b: S5 H% g! I> 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
# I0 i9 \- z  Z5 o) r8 G/ V3 j> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
6 [( m3 h2 G/ P& ~> 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,
: W* |- _3 r8 ~5 {3 Z6 o( H> 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
6 t8 m. u" C' V) L* J3 @> circled the bases toward home.
>
0 l  R# t  x! e8 M4 K! D. L) e> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
; G$ v5 l1 ~! z; |. G9 P" A4 F, s: O> 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!'
>
+ z9 ]5 I. O8 h9 d& y( L> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
! o/ U8 d# [- {, Q> 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
+ x% L9 c, D$ u! c' n> game for his team.
>
1 K) S7 L' b5 T  k1 p! ^2 e7 U) T> '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
( c, l7 ^6 q: l> 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
5 g% d3 B6 V7 G% q' j2 K2 ], @> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 j4 n4 L1 L! [  Y2 }0 w> 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
: M* N. ^1 U9 M& M5 @" C1 H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 f4 ?, U0 _# H# |# l) k> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ L& M, r6 M5 a4 f  E> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
2 o# W: A8 {3 U" d+ H- f2 D> '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
0 V) U( M5 p! E7 C> 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?
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! j  P5 T; w1 g# v$ q6 |: q> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.