Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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1 O' H  l1 Q5 U  G& v; _: k1 F> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
- g5 v8 A2 B4 c, U! Q3 b' @, _> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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: g- U# j! g: o% _3 j) N7 e" w3 |( _> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
  E' ?5 V5 v) T. I! F' p/ ~9 {4 j> 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:
>
> '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
7 z, S8 f8 z1 v. Y- s> natural order of things in my son?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
4 R' Z$ k3 `2 R# F8 `" e> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
7 x3 Z% Z  W7 c5 t3 Y> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 k6 A0 q) r7 N+ L* B) W5 B2 t! t; N> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 ?/ w: L! X3 j  `2 r> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
4 r$ [- C, G* a6 N7 B2 A9 Q> 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,
) q) {  S. Z$ t" h8 \2 E> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
# }! F% g" H$ r% V1 j7 n> 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
6 e& @: x1 a4 v0 w( J+ j> inning.'
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: ?2 q5 F+ @9 T* p  u5 N> 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
5 ^6 V7 n+ u, G. T- O( U> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
! R) G" b  \8 l( C1 t> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
* J9 w6 {& n+ C& i( ^9 v> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 `- V' x# g# ~8 m+ N> 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
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
3 {( O3 f- U' W1 b% @> 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
* @2 Z1 M# n3 y2 M* R> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
2 s! @9 b  P5 E9 w" g% K0 b> 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,
: L) _9 `: o( ~, M( A" q0 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
$ y/ _: s8 [1 f> 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.
>
6 p. e* t+ Y5 Q7 a: X3 e7 y> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) x, }" k- Q" o( f  j7 s> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
: o- t! @7 I0 b7 H1 I) v( P> 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
/ }3 c( c' ?6 @/ l6 m> 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
> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
( R; I2 Y) C# z& t7 j& c; a> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
) z. d" Q6 Y3 ^; }7 b> 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
' O) `: p7 a. e( H; y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
9 f% I& u% x6 }4 V, @> 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
8 Q) ~6 P7 R6 r4 u  O% g9 ?> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
1 w; f: ?: R' {7 D% V, f% l3 S> 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
! P  ]9 s4 U+ q) ]> 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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1 I% E/ n6 k, H+ L> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
7 W. H, {4 q0 H/ Z9 V2 n$ w> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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1 L, U. x5 ?& Q2 x( k; o) k* N> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
8 C$ i8 h  [6 h+ s> 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!
>
> 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
' @& s9 S9 w; M2 C3 H> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
5 `4 b% F  g; J> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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3 b9 T5 y7 V# s$ Y/ c3 }7 Z> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 F3 s: S6 A2 K> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
+ l0 C' a( s. H1 w9 M3 ^> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
6 O% Z5 h9 n- @5 ]0 S% R> 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
1 x3 J! f( S6 V( V' q& w$ L" I> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
2 B( w- {; }& s5 Z8 f+ g+ Z! g> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
) U; C* e/ D! |% \1 F' Y> 2. Forward
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4 J- Y! `# P$ C' [- H> May your day, be a Shay Day.