Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
% }$ ~. f- w% V! F4 c+ e> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
/ v7 M3 B5 C- f* w4 N> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( n9 O2 U8 |! }0 {% H, d> same choice?
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8 Q- z9 t& ~8 w& ^0 O> 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
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
" Z* ~& @$ L& f# V, y* W% W4 ^# r> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
* x. Q% l- i3 s% s+ Q( m1 ^> 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.
, W6 f: K) \/ f>
; k6 f0 j7 d/ j- [; @> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
! b+ X& J3 `4 ^) S% B# F  q' w$ m> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
9 f2 l$ h& t/ Z" V: ]> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
& R7 {5 M: l# L6 m, E  n; |- n> 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
> 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,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
3 H' N, k7 v' w3 u4 a2 R> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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8 V$ d" a# E6 E7 ^8 ~6 o; U/ I> 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.'
3 g; a. Z& A, E3 ?- W$ }>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
- z$ E( M$ b: n$ l3 h> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
0 M  i( M2 G$ D> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
7 q. ^$ ~/ M( m0 ]0 [: P2 Z> 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
> 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 p0 |8 ?7 E0 }( U> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
* z, z9 V7 n3 i7 t. U8 ~7 v> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
7 g7 @1 F. K: a; Y> next at bat.
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' W7 c8 J7 O( X! \$ q: q> 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
: z6 w( `1 G; @2 E' e4 J% X* J+ q> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
- R) S+ ?) j7 G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
& h; A8 M: W/ h- T! M' q> 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
" G* }) M+ E: t/ @! ]> 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 Z5 V8 u* [: u3 B, f- [; z- U>
> 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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+ \9 }5 f8 G/ p9 r. P0 }> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
( q. u: O1 N2 N. S" p5 k> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& X3 _; [3 G9 _. @4 Q# [' T> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
/ I& q  ?% f+ L! a% @4 N> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  L4 \$ P+ b# d; `> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
. x( E0 H& b8 Z3 U2 D% c> 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
3 I1 g" p) ^& `7 @( N> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
' t2 w/ g/ |" o  c( T$ d( I3 Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
( h4 W4 j- b0 H& `/ r/ e% M* q> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
# Q- t) `' q" O! M/ D> 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
* i' h: K3 Y5 u9 b> game for his team.
1 \( E* z; J6 ]3 b9 W>
> '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
/ |. b, ~) o8 w) d! j/ _4 C7 V; B> into this world'.
" j, Z/ {7 ?6 }  b; k>
> 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
- e+ m4 `" h2 {" S7 P* Q> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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8 w  k) s- B6 G% M% Z- ]: p. Y' [2 F: [! Q> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
# g* D# [; R/ x: N5 z. Y> 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
  K: t) [, C- V7 p> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
  P2 o1 J  B# r" ]0 z& A$ d1 C/ d> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
7 B4 p  n' w8 |+ e> 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 H" Y5 g4 ?+ \> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 m, T; _0 y) D3 R! x> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
- q, @( n- L2 E3 T9 @# T> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 W: s  Y$ z4 g7 y> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
# m3 x9 V2 q8 y' Q> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
. l% O& e1 X- k# y> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
+ |7 h  t6 d8 I  Z3 |>
( j" \& a) O+ I) P> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 h( B  K- C2 q# A2 h- }0 S> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
4 {# G3 P$ \4 K! i8 j! K9 @> You now have two choices:
; W5 _1 U) Q, f' v> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% @. f7 n, ^! E# S5 q> May your day, be a Shay Day.