Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
+ e3 \, [. H) v7 k0 \% ]# m' ^( z1 q5 t> 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
4 B) M4 C7 I- E" Q. a" g> same choice?
" B4 C" U# w) L8 g" U>
> 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
, s6 i, h1 X4 D0 Q> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
+ o3 T; C* I  Y, |) n" H- Q9 b- v> staff, he offered a question:
>
> '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
5 G# A( e! }9 Q% N1 }( ^> natural order of things in my son?'
>
/ ^9 U" l: H5 s% ?2 X9 K( ~$ L* G> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 X' r& c' T' n# _8 a> 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 A1 T6 ?  u- K& l5 H; j> treat that child.'
: X5 }; o% Y+ z' X! h' K5 Q  ~5 D>
> Then he told the following story:
8 x$ \; o& y' y  _! e>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% N0 m8 t  E8 o% ~$ z> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
/ t4 G, [4 R4 {4 M- b+ x> 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,
! Y# f2 \: r0 j> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
* \6 D) m' K: u$ H>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ b7 S) h0 v3 ?6 f9 q$ h> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
+ H. H- k, A! B5 V) v> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
5 A7 e. q$ o' [4 @0 i> 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
, G9 T7 K/ o6 J# S> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
" Q3 d6 E; L9 ~7 }0 j> 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
7 O- ^8 H. d% U0 S7 F7 x> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
/ d$ H: W% i5 F/ @; p6 d> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
5 m8 G; m' c: S> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
7 E; z; K% x. f1 {> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
* g' D8 R0 V% w>
> 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.
> 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.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
0 J3 e$ m4 ?% c3 L9 @- ]% M> 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
! i: G. E7 @4 J7 X> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& e! w3 R/ z3 h' W> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
0 v& x( l+ v5 L" B- H> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
1 S/ {* w3 g& H> wide-eyed and startled.
>
+ X2 i9 @1 Y0 ~* A> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
1 N, p" m: y& I' }> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
9 R2 T8 H8 Y3 ?; ^> 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
> 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
  {# A2 j8 q6 Z) f; }> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
; L1 `! L- y7 X- e4 l7 E> circled the bases toward home.
9 L% h5 v9 M2 y( C1 A* f8 [>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
; i) A: n$ v4 n& u. d# a>
" c8 G7 |, u5 F: j6 S- y0 u2 K0 g> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
1 s8 l' R2 B7 O2 d; \> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
; O+ j+ ^, x- t) p9 ^>
2 u( f1 m8 y4 u* A) ^8 E' F- X> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
, q4 Z- w+ c" w7 T> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. @4 w4 F. T- Y) E> 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,
3 a9 M* {+ d) y. Y3 M+ ~9 y> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
: b4 R& Y  r8 C# x% S> into this world'.
* M+ }( w' B% b0 g" |>
> 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
. w" n; k7 Z7 b* O/ D> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
5 f) ~  D0 O. ~8 D# @- j* l>
> 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
9 f7 x1 q# s% R- W- P5 P/ `> 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
; u% v) U& M- ?" f$ E> '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
" V# d* x, Q: {; y; Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
4 }& {6 e4 h1 q+ F> 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
& h( o5 o$ M; o$ A  X% M> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
! ?& _2 C( T  e4 j4 S, y' D9 b5 j> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
1 y9 W0 q! S' _> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
- |( N: K2 D$ U4 R4 L>
7 R' S  r/ M% S7 m% a( N9 t> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
! @! W7 K- J$ B8 j! C& Q3 }8 J> 2. Forward
>
1 U5 |9 O0 f5 G7 q& A> May your day, be a Shay Day.