Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 s9 G, J) b* ?; s> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
, ~9 `$ q1 L& k5 K; R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
+ T# |2 V' t7 ~& F: @8 n% O> same choice?
>
> 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
1 ~" y$ J( g0 q& \0 l/ l! v; g7 O> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
. U$ m" Z$ v+ ]& H1 e> staff, he offered a question:
>
( c, L" _. Q- D3 K; R2 F> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
1 y* M0 D$ w( m9 S> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
# h$ T) z% `# i- `; p0 Y7 @7 ?( ]> natural order of things in my son?'
>
' e$ m' B% O: W> The audience was stilled by the query.
& O. k" ^! L7 w>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ D2 m; {; H" W9 K$ ~> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
  y* h; s* ^4 t  d, Z> Then he told the following story:
* M# j2 Y+ _; k* L, h' W>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
  v+ r( `  t+ O  t% _> 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
1 F) ~- E2 {  j% [# r% i% 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
+ ]% u+ v( G" r" }# m>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
0 B; D9 O6 Y$ Y( o9 c> 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.'
>
> 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
/ ^3 w1 h; s" p+ V) ]. T> 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
> 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
' z+ w- E5 A5 w- R4 R> 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
' y1 q. Y; [0 a& f8 O> 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 }$ h- `' m4 q- k) N> next at bat.
6 L% a+ v  m, B2 ]9 x8 G  Z. _0 [>
> 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,
: H' b5 A4 k, [! ?1 L> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
; i8 m" `/ _' A: a! l% G/ K! ]* i) X  w> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
- Z- M- s, x6 f) m" t( v> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
+ r0 {( u+ c0 J" o9 G7 p, v. t> 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.
6 B& q# t2 w( `; ?% j1 [> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 r  t* D" f3 Q/ p. G> right back to the pitcher.
$ K2 ^( I# b( J5 Y>
$ d# w7 l$ ]" K> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
6 ?7 e: p8 m: S% S9 @) l> 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.
( C# x( l- f8 Q$ Z, z1 P>
> 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
; B  B. [) b$ N> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
6 c: m2 A- }  W2 ?> wide-eyed and startled.
. f+ @8 ^) c* g( j& f/ z8 p6 R>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
+ f7 N+ L& q" g, z  L> 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
  R" x8 S' k, g3 }> 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
: v8 Y0 A* ^; q/ y" s' b> 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
6 B. g0 q, }: [! w. ~# r0 u> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 m- |1 \, _! ^6 U1 i> 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
" f# |4 E% \8 [' Q3 L  m( O> game for his team.
>
5 j7 g% }4 ]& Z* }, E4 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'.
>
, J, ]6 p/ S* d+ T; y  U# N> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
2 C' \% k% S7 b* t; @> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
$ }! N& r! ^& \> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
) W, G; W5 C0 Y>
> 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
5 x7 ~: E7 g. \3 F  f> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. H2 j9 z  l, a  G) n" @- I> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
8 k$ @$ m: P" j' b>
> 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
! q/ `6 s% ^. C& J> '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
> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 Q" T0 o+ V1 L1 I" g0 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
+ c& r! Z& H- ?' V) P> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
2 F1 m& r$ J* `2 a> bit colder in the process?
, @: c0 g0 O3 r! Q  t( W>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
6 c. _& ]" g+ C/ J6 R> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
' i$ h+ a4 B4 T# e  x/ U8 Y- a- u>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.