Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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$ K% Z& J5 X" i+ {0 Q> 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?
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% a! U8 j# C2 a9 E6 N> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 n1 u3 X( r" _. x3 W( u> 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
( s) ~2 k$ S! F" f* D> staff, he offered a question:
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3 e! v+ P& E, N8 _4 f" O> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
4 j" H+ n7 H+ e1 L; s; x/ S> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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# N7 i: b- I8 G) y5 e! }7 N> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
3 ]1 k# S" Z' e7 W+ |0 m2 B) r' l> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
4 `! J! h" X' q9 l0 H> treat that child.'
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$ b8 e6 u7 b  i4 l9 l- b4 d) y> 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
> 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,
: E/ V: v2 H$ U" r0 c3 q" J> 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
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" N0 W. v, E: y0 L. ~3 Q# _* N> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
4 h/ L/ L8 T- a+ ?: _6 H> 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
8 A9 y0 E  t& E" p) Q> 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
; A( n2 r2 O6 D/ a# R> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
2 T$ S- d+ j2 t$ n> 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
! c! [* e( I6 Y( F> next at bat.
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: a% B. M$ Z/ d  w1 I) R> 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.
6 e7 x, m" u' O. I3 j> 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
> 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
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
& P5 Q  K# a' u2 k4 j$ Q> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
. w. B/ O( ~: o" ~- B> 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
$ C6 R+ s1 k& A$ r  M; G% D% d> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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> 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
4 B9 P' S  C$ M( v  N! ?, d> 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 U1 }* Q  F3 ^5 X& x5 w9 C> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> 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
8 p. e$ |$ G! O( j> 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
% S( u# P" q% i/ i( q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
# s& T  x) g( k> 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
, A$ c$ v+ P: ^, u- l9 [> circled the bases toward home.
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3 Z1 k4 E' {& ~> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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> 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!
7 Q8 ~$ ^) F0 f6 @4 X" `9 g> Shay, run to third!'
>
! @' @& h7 y; s. U2 M> 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
5 c8 i( A  E4 t6 M$ M% h* P> 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'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
% p5 ^6 A4 w4 |. \4 u& S$ b+ ~/ K> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
8 |( ~' E# c$ A4 H4 G& M$ }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
& s0 T5 G; w8 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
7 Z1 K5 M0 d. J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: ?; o! N8 ~5 |+ G1 V8 |+ T) K> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
4 A1 C2 e; c$ Y' o2 e7 c> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ W- f& y/ t* @7 y; \! Z. X> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& i( P1 l2 F4 X> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ B( B5 b1 A+ Q# R3 E* x  e> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 d& H& w7 C3 I) w; V! }7 l> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
$ s- P9 H( E- b( L* C* J* Q0 p> You now have two choices:
: c* t$ Q' q$ t9 R1 n* q' p" F/ [> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.