Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
# b3 C0 H) @: g# S9 [> 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
7 L* S2 L) A, a> same choice?
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4 I/ l8 U0 y* X: s+ j% H> 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:
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3 f7 q4 A5 _* Y> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
! R6 d/ I" N% d' Z% E. x> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
( W6 H, f* t- I+ h> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
3 {+ {# X. ~& v. D> natural order of things in my son?'
>
5 U1 U3 `6 q: W# Y0 q" I  X1 t8 |> The audience was stilled by the query.
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8 h! l, M& c: [8 B( q$ p* |1 d> 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
& z+ ?; l% m1 {( e) N. _6 G> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
6 n$ C. J( V' |* X- s- F>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
" F* f+ }, W- g" ?' c> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
" |- \, I6 C$ p) j/ }( E> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
, c+ S1 ?8 _5 B% w4 I. }> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
+ P& l+ Q0 c. E# q> 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
) w" V) V2 E# x0 F" `( 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
> inning.'
8 U$ l5 [4 a, g; _: Y>
> 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
( A7 W5 O3 r* p; D, x> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
( k9 u, p. O5 d2 \> 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
3 y9 N6 L4 e0 h& @# t# D2 A> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
* z; L6 U8 D" F$ k> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
) T+ b  d4 S5 C8 \$ L0 h> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' C; o; ]2 r0 h) d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
4 a7 T# K) E  e4 D6 Y* l+ |+ r> next at bat.
>
# S& i$ `9 F. L  \1 w" ]* r: u1 \% C8 J6 E> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
/ Z( [8 v% E$ O) z, |> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
" B$ e9 U" p/ X4 Q6 T) i0 u> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
7 b- k1 E: a" J8 \  W> much less connect with the ball.
8 `8 d5 n5 ?! Y/ s) @( X' n+ R> 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
; }% L; d2 R" n% [> 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.
8 v: t" C* N8 E( E' k! {: o3 P9 Y6 o> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
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> 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.
>
> 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
/ J/ {7 j$ [5 T4 ?> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
& |( s& m. u, l# p! w2 d> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
& @" C6 f  a- l, X. h4 R! e> wide-eyed and startled.
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+ S6 ^! ]. W- b> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
- v4 t8 U: }" R' r) W> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
0 U5 d% m$ e9 Q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) h' n9 ]+ H8 ?  I; `) I5 p; M> 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,
2 O) I9 B# w- b9 x7 o% t> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
9 w  _7 y& S% {4 y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
6 Y) `$ k# g5 S5 q4 S! U> 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!'
>
> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: ~8 p9 y: E: y) S- X/ b8 Y3 I1 N> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
$ b: \: I  [- M7 k0 u$ Y> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
8 U) M3 T0 l) Z* `>
> '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'.
>
! @) _" I' P- o2 O> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
, R# U; R! A8 @/ b> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 U/ z' M8 a  A$ O/ j( o> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
0 J* k; B, ~" ~( Z2 e9 H> 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
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
2 V) T* D7 v0 ]) X> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
# Q: ^8 M4 F& h- z" T0 b- L>
> 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
0 `4 B( F( P& l! J! i5 @> '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
2 _& ~4 K  _3 i1 R$ _# |  E! g% q; {7 O> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
6 C7 ^6 h+ \! Y. _> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& h& ~* N0 `- |- k2 {7 R> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
: i! r/ r, J9 b> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
+ f% e  O+ Y! W8 B/ U+ E" f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
% ]$ j# V( ]9 @/ A: a- ^6 M; j2 q> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
/ c+ t. c! V" S; N> You now have two choices:
& s: x8 p+ L1 R) ?# w> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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  B5 c3 w/ E2 \0 l$ e2 l> May your day, be a Shay Day.