Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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- ]" E* z, Y0 }> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ j$ z2 h( z, p+ T( n$ @> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
6 O3 O4 l# f$ ^# C0 n; 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:
>
7 d9 T9 ~+ d1 i! m5 j1 v> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
/ c9 {' R$ q) z- o> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
" D) a9 V0 j( H# q6 ^! Q+ Z- Z> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' @9 S+ U8 R( X) A> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
* S' L- \5 k! M: w8 d" ?> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
$ Y, R% h3 R3 {% ~0 p> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
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+ D0 c0 D0 T$ Q, P% I$ w0 z> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 A5 y- F5 i; b7 C> 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
8 X# d0 m+ O% w3 K- t> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
6 F3 [1 u: Z# a: y7 p" Z# ]> 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
, n/ C8 I$ j4 {" q1 W7 m* ?> inning.'
>
2 O; e6 \4 h5 H/ x> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
! I6 B- a1 S& z" B. Y1 c> 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
# E9 U  l( W. e: C> 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
1 T4 a1 e& H" L6 p> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
7 |) O. o8 ?; ^5 k> 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
7 y% o0 B- t# p, O6 X2 ~+ D- b> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
' \/ @# }- t# r/ C5 l6 }> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
, m+ |3 U& t$ W> next at bat.
>
& y6 |, H: a) ?: ~/ f% z* O9 f> 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,
3 y0 k/ t0 s/ V2 i> 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
  E! e8 d$ C0 x3 L" K8 Z> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
" K" X- v- u: h- d> 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
) e: Y9 |9 ~7 C; l> right back to the pitcher.
>
6 e5 w6 u8 ^# `9 z% x+ n5 {  r. L> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
7 W, _) `% \2 M( s0 D  o8 f> 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,
> wide-eyed and startled.
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> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
4 y" j9 w* r# h  F% g( q> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
7 ^) S6 V: [1 ?1 s7 ^# R# D) q> 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
6 p% ]6 Q3 N* V9 l% J# k. p( d> 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'
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+ x8 o  A' R3 z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 e" j" p5 T+ t% r8 J' H> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
& ~3 X5 H, l! T> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
. \3 `3 K/ p& D# n7 X# d7 \& C> into this world'.
>
4 ?3 g3 ~5 M6 v> 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
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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8 r% K+ E4 h! R8 p0 p8 Z> 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
$ G: [$ y% d& N5 J* ^> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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2 p* D" `9 T( {2 Q( d/ D8 s> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
& r$ S. `4 F5 _. ]0 U" ^> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
' `! {7 W' t8 g. s$ K7 a! e' i( n> 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
> 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
$ ?, B2 E( |+ V6 ^> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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& v- T) t2 a4 ^, t/ r> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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$ |9 C% r( Y0 h" u> You now have two choices:
& ?: w. D3 n8 d8 V. @2 ?9 L> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.