Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
& `/ R, ], G1 _7 F5 n> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
9 V+ Y6 m5 _8 y% l2 Z/ E> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
2 a8 m+ u7 P( Y8 a! Y7 z9 B> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
: m2 D, ?& X* c# Z5 Q8 ~> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
, E+ ^  O6 a  X$ }" U2 y- ~" I: G> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 `* d9 M, q2 z5 H7 O$ Y> staff, he offered a question:
9 ~0 Q: E; g% S  i  p>
6 e# N/ r/ f* \" W9 c- \* s2 L> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* s- S  n/ s9 H6 H> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
- C# G* m$ f7 L> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
! H" _. K4 _& j. l1 e% I> 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
! u) Y1 V) N$ i2 I" O1 e1 u> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( E. x& c  I, t  V5 l0 a+ S> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
- Z: H! H6 ^& X: n0 S> 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
5 Z. i7 s( h! y1 g> 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,
/ H% g: |- _0 i0 f> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
8 X% H" a; d2 n6 `> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
0 Y/ \* i* u6 {/ |" b0 t>
> 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
% r3 T+ \7 O! X% w9 u1 u1 o& Z> 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
; }, X7 E: [( z) P1 ^7 ~6 j' t& b> 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
* H- ?9 T% n/ E> 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
* X8 t3 h3 Y/ j$ V4 y) v) O6 V9 d> 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
* E9 F2 C/ I5 h  S1 [% l* z7 e# A> 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
, w7 I( M2 Z# ~  e- e! P> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
( @  [/ R3 s# \! j) D; a% B> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, x* E0 j, \$ a- u( P! I1 M> next at bat.
>
/ ?5 q. f( R* ~! U0 K> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
+ A* {# k' z- i" W: C! m4 H> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
( U- `2 ~1 {4 Q# ?3 j+ p> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
7 Z+ ?9 W% P! {, `. |> 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
* `0 B6 G  M% X/ K; Q: `6 x> 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
+ J4 k; ?8 f7 L  N5 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
- {% L. D4 ?& G> right back to the pitcher.
>
  Z' z0 u8 f0 o" c+ b& Y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 c* Z5 A) H3 U5 w* F. o$ J9 ~> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
; x7 K9 J4 c( Z! v2 @# q2 m> 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
% x! n  y' L4 q" m> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
2 n! S" w1 I: g4 K+ O  y> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
9 Z/ d* D4 l- G> 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
. ~5 N, z( b6 |; x5 a  R- ?/ C> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
# q( ?7 c; h* ]- q! C# c. x> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
, R3 S3 i% J! ?+ e2 f> 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,
, Q, I7 `! `+ Y4 ^$ H% P> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
. e* a7 V$ T7 b5 }7 e" \6 Y> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> 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
1 y  |. H9 _; f, W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> 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
> game for his team.
>
> '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'.
7 W' e% A; k. A) B+ ]>
$ D, R/ n, \; G9 Y/ d> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
! S4 R: l3 T# M5 Q, u! k> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% S+ }1 H! U1 D6 ?> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
1 ^. D5 X$ D& y  ^5 E> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
% U9 A" ~) f6 b0 B- ~' }> 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
/ X' c8 p/ M2 ~" \9 Z0 i> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
! o- U3 |  l$ c: Z> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 o& z4 U1 J) {( Y* S> 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
) j- e0 k. a# z) e1 J; \! N> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
$ F! M  T! ^/ R' l% \: \7 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
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
( {/ X5 Z; C  A1 G( {! ?/ }( S6 @1 |; w6 ^> 1. Delete
7 E. L2 ~5 N( {2 n( g2 V. v- c+ ]> 2. Forward
>
) L6 k! D( A) V( Z5 [( D* S> May your day, be a Shay Day.