Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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5 D8 M6 J; `9 s' 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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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
$ C+ ?9 c; z: i1 h) m: D> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
. ?1 r' {, i& j6 \) {  i1 I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
6 G' _. |' i4 i1 d4 K- f' p> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
$ z/ l* q" F1 I  F, w4 o> 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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$ G9 e# U( M9 E2 o& p. V; m; j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
$ ?7 R4 V: M. O2 s8 b> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 u, m$ a: ?: H5 ~' j> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
" u% S$ J  V, c) }% q> 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
1 r3 i' h3 T  \% a, _2 @6 ~5 ]> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
' n  f) f2 J: w) J, s' B2 l> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
( j8 g; _' M: R3 Y> 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
. y5 }; S% Y' p. H> 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
> 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
> inning.'
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> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
# Z6 e3 U; r/ z- A1 N, u6 p! 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
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
- R) D" a! ?  V, F- f( S> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
+ P1 H. u# p, O2 j. K( i' J" h4 C, a0 w> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
/ z5 q3 _$ t; e+ L) x% K> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
% M) W2 Q( B( S* J> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
6 ^8 |2 K3 M; j! p2 P% P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
: X0 O' H) }7 v. o. i# s> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
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0 B# u; T* G/ b> 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
) W; _  N, ^7 g3 Z' U0 B! \5 _> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
3 ~  J2 s( I% J0 `+ z+ x> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
4 l& {  `" ^! X; C& D> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
0 k- y2 J  l. i! f9 Z' Y* n> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
8 J! Q- _# Q: T- Y' n> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
+ |# O4 A8 u7 K> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
# F' ]# Y. V+ X9 V- S, Y) ?% j2 V> 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
# y! ?2 a- {5 _> 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
5 C7 t: V% U+ i6 X> 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
> 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
2 }; q7 t& G3 {) Q6 L6 j; ?/ [8 ?> 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
> circled the bases toward home.
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> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. t% _6 v" s5 d3 R+ 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!
9 J' u7 a* L) D% t0 `6 n> Shay, run to third!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
3 ~: X& X" L  D0 c# W8 m> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* P3 y  g' h6 F; H> 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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; U3 I# ?2 o' J' j& u  \* Q: C" |: ~> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
' U( J' E. X+ o; b  M6 B0 z: a> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
  P) P* `7 d9 Q7 p$ B> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
) G6 H  P5 ?6 D" v> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
: {  K! p2 y' R) J5 }> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
4 R# Q) M8 y' y  f1 [$ u7 m! [> 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
. r3 P9 }/ Q" X' c> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
- }& O2 J/ f  u+ A% S& U& u> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
6 k. @3 ~) h, }: H" m8 u> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
. k6 D' V+ q) P* {> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
. k+ R. z, o& Y) n0 i. }> 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
# R' ^4 U; k% o8 }+ B( [> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
( V* L# g% ^# b& n> A wise man once said every society is judged by
8 E- T& {. z2 c5 K> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
7 E; T- d. `( ?/ l* r' ^1 t7 @> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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+ L: Q3 X4 u" `( W3 l# t  k> May your day, be a Shay Day.