Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
/ I0 S+ J/ W, }( ~$ n> 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?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
7 ^7 _! _$ s/ y( s/ g> 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:
>
' ?& b. O' I5 q, Y1 @* X> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% T; t/ ~2 j2 ?; k# U3 U1 S> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
9 S; o% G  z1 v9 y* G7 E5 a0 ~4 X6 H> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
9 n$ ]1 Q" k( S. t" Z5 \> natural order of things in my son?'
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1 `: U: B; q8 h: S3 E> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
( ^4 a7 _. `/ ^* ?* {! s1 x8 E> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
+ \2 v+ I/ Z# L7 \! u  t> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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' P* g7 I9 p2 L6 k2 {3 ]! ~> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
) Z4 p4 S7 x9 W2 X7 t> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# v9 i9 Z) Q, [+ o3 e) F& K( Y> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
8 E( z7 E9 F9 T  Y8 r5 l1 ]( h5 N3 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
- t9 [3 Y6 g' P3 K5 Q. T5 @! w> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
7 C: {6 m0 @8 t> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
. J( K3 P( ?* j2 M+ r& K> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
) L1 O2 e8 ~! W" p% s9 Z> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
% g! l$ r' G- L- U, ~$ Q; ^7 w> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
/ v* g/ C4 |) M; f; N: W( i+ T> inning.'
>
5 `8 b6 L; G% c+ \. L$ ^> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
* f" k7 X) p  p+ B& \/ _0 ~" }> 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
' z& \& P! G. c! R7 A" v# p, _> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
8 a* e& N# a5 `6 ?; Y) V. V> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
6 m$ c* n. P! u6 \+ N- J# B> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
! X6 y  R  h2 N7 \! R> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
. H- ]: w* e7 T6 `/ o; \) T> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
" C% e+ m( A) Y* l% Q> 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
' p3 e* I) R4 \5 P4 n. ^/ Q( n> next at bat.
>
> 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
/ G, v4 I8 L4 K2 ]: D> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
/ Z$ a5 j+ T8 y> 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
2 u' P# y+ X; ^" 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
5 G0 C- ~* T4 `. {6 G2 N> 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
, ]) P0 B% g0 N- N' f) i# T> 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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> 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
- P9 D+ Q, U. u& T3 ~: \1 `> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
. u9 S0 h7 K: I# p$ A> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
+ G; Y  e1 }) @> 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
# e+ b  S- N1 u$ u8 x; j0 U> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  f# n8 @; A' N+ n( U1 z' k+ a> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
" J9 }; d/ s. T6 ?* y, I0 N> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
& ]+ w, j/ y! M0 a> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
; u; Q" t6 U) D, |8 A, ^" A8 S> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
8 N) k2 X9 r- J: Q" A! S9 _> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
- ]1 T( h, u! R0 {( ^* x* v>
5 L- o2 A- j- t> 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!
/ b5 n" T5 G* ^" B: m$ E8 O+ ^> Shay, run to third!'
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) ]1 R& m' g, b' j1 C+ f7 K> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
8 E) S- o# W/ f* h& c> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
0 C5 ~7 R* d( `# ]( V> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
( s5 L; S) M. o0 i4 w8 h0 K& N> game for his team.
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" T7 ]7 m7 @; |! e7 p1 S5 S> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
: H+ B& j5 l; h' g> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
( e8 t; w: \3 O" X' \>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
1 f% A; A5 e0 Q; x> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
' Q: s, b4 F  M& [> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" a! Q+ V+ _2 d' ]8 I0 t# 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
& h9 H. z/ q& J) Q>
" V& V- i+ b/ c9 z! n: y. V> 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
8 v- @  h5 j  a) j/ X  v; O> '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
/ D$ i8 ]% ]  v. t( d; E: G. w# M4 v. h> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- o/ @5 D( U4 _0 j4 Q; \/ Z. M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 f0 J' G0 G3 t> bit colder in the process?
>
3 j4 E& D- m- x7 v5 j> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
) G: Y/ X0 M8 ~; s> You now have two choices:
, O$ G* D$ H- L! O0 X9 V. l> 1. Delete
! c6 y! Z! m& q% _* X$ k> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.