Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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: v9 l5 V1 L$ U" U# W> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) J6 i6 {" v& d6 L/ ]" Q1 J> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
; i* b1 Z; M' C- c" a+ G" ^6 h> 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
: v6 |' l- w0 Q& J> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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) i3 U, O$ W% t  X1 \> '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
> natural order of things in my son?'
>
0 s% N  a. b! z, m4 K0 K> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 H1 [! z5 [1 J> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
5 F2 [3 Q9 f; }9 X' e- D5 ?  _> treat that child.'
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> 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
% |2 o+ n4 ?7 F% p> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
; v  _8 [2 [4 K0 Z) T) R$ f> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
- r2 E! }2 S& A8 C* o, E2 q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- c! s1 q' g* Z' x% h0 O$ {% b1 L0 {> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
& g7 q( g5 |8 [; Z! m9 Y> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 A  B. ?, \) m, |> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 B. `3 r/ c4 S> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
" ~; `! ^: Q' q' D& K2 m> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 J4 O$ W' n% L3 w! n! w> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
; j7 i* z; o( D  I5 d& g" }> 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
6 L/ _& Q+ n+ e> 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
, s" C2 p+ D8 w* [, _- H> 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
# U2 \! s) j) L$ I> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
# r6 X. {, q/ P: }. w4 D3 O- p/ i9 e> 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,
; _& e2 q. ]) T8 W! {, {4 u> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
; `2 A5 s2 v% K; H6 W> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
  \7 A9 k" z! F$ F6 T* n> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
6 T3 i5 @# g4 n> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
0 d: Z6 {+ ]2 l> right back to the pitcher.
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> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
8 _$ w+ _( @5 C> 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
9 e  S! W. `5 j$ ~: I> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* Z! v8 c! s, ]) ]! z8 G> 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,
: \4 H+ k7 S9 ?0 |: i8 X> wide-eyed and startled.
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> 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
; u) B2 o. {5 f- f- K$ Y> 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
" d% H  s4 C4 V> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
; I1 L7 e  H4 |- o$ @2 g> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
2 t- H- [7 }' ^3 D0 `> 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
7 p/ N0 D3 T. W% [# i> game for his team.
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6 B& Q% ]2 L: E" X, q$ v> '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
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
; t1 Q. P. b. @" x* n> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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+ g. E! a# k( B/ ~7 T, _> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 N" X7 O' o# r  @> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
4 z# e1 y% l  U> 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.
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> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
, w: _) ]! T. A8 B$ ?7 M! [% ]9 [> 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
/ j& @& T5 X; v- ~> 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
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
" M/ g4 R2 |- \- n. c( _> 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
" |* K; X% v) o> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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# U9 g3 l6 D6 s$ y2 R; G> You now have two choices:
0 H2 y0 D6 ~/ Q0 l& O! u+ ?+ G- Z8 P+ P; S> 1. Delete
) G/ u* X1 |  ^) ~> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.