Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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> 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
$ u+ q9 M0 s: R7 A> same choice?
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# }7 i+ S( i6 j/ J1 i+ n; X1 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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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
% @3 u! j' `6 L  _; q  u3 c4 J3 j> 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
0 c* A1 K3 p4 A> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
0 M# [  w3 @( }> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
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% M5 t0 G9 K# I> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
) S7 H. x; Q& m# O> 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
8 J9 Z5 Q% }% M7 T( f7 j: E" K> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> 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
( B  K0 B+ a7 ]5 A> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
# Z1 F( |/ `6 C0 c2 K- P; F- ~> 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
> 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
) A% [5 }$ y& ^# G# i> 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
" Z9 G7 T' a4 A# D( Y: _2 _> 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
> 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
0 f  I( A9 Y2 b8 V7 j> next at bat.
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> 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,
* w: u* e& r8 r) y, q: F% c> much less connect with the ball.
, E+ q  k, Z0 S3 T: `- d> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
7 A! v! f/ q7 S5 G) r> 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
0 N  u0 Q  N0 T* l3 o> 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.
+ F4 f: g6 _2 Z" ]! O  k2 O; i' b> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
1 o# x% |( _3 C2 u2 y) `5 u: P> right back to the pitcher.
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7 I( m0 n4 {1 r  P9 i> 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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> 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
> 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,
$ j# M' }6 T2 R  J& a/ z7 H> wide-eyed and startled.
>
7 M0 D/ U1 j7 H/ G3 j' K& X4 ?5 W> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
. l& K7 V0 @% W2 B+ D" ~5 C> 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
> 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
4 {! @' k5 s2 u$ p' p# {$ l6 ^> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
4 ^& a0 Y1 [* S$ L' }0 Y3 ^> circled the bases toward home.
>
, m  i& Y7 d) B> 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
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
0 |9 `( c5 f' I> 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.
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> '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'.
>
! M5 D8 h& l4 N> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
+ [: u7 t% e+ s3 {1 b3 N" n> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
4 T$ P6 e% K3 z- Y7 }+ Q+ a1 V% W8 H> 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
) b1 S) @6 _& [+ U> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) X& y" r* O) \; X4 A0 p* \* `' J> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
) J  j) U4 v: j* {& s% c/ P> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
9 M6 B/ F  H2 z; S9 f) e, D* g> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
8 N; J( g  N) m/ `> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
* k9 ]- F7 q9 e  g4 B; N> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
8 [9 O+ O0 Q* }> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
" I3 B2 z) ?, M6 ~> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
3 M7 M. H4 p0 c7 t> bit colder in the process?
>
: V+ e6 s  P( W> A wise man once said every society is judged by
7 ?% M- s! {( g$ ~0 F> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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0 R) f5 G# w0 u> You now have two choices:
& v- F7 ~4 O8 k/ F7 o> 1. Delete
  U9 W5 G. l3 s( b5 Z# w1 o> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.