Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 o5 n# i3 g* h* F> 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
> same choice?
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' v; G1 T" [6 S> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
. n. A: h/ |5 U> 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
% Y9 v% q6 y" u: f5 q7 s; c> staff, he offered a question:
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, M: D* h3 d2 f9 w0 ?> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
, R: Q( z% a& {: k" ^' {> 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.
>
; W( t  [+ e0 ^* V! L> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
& O, f: o, o0 `' m9 }> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
1 u1 g! G% A1 c( [. x2 r& s3 u5 r> 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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> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
$ |1 ?; K& e% W" H8 i: C$ o: ?4 m> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! g; f7 M% u7 q: a; m' {0 h> 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
. i% {; Y: q' S; T( S. z> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
. e6 n2 l+ O( i# e1 _2 r  r> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
9 C) Q5 n7 K. q* y> 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
) x* V* C0 u7 t9 s> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
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/ ~& j7 W  U/ J) V6 ?> 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
7 L( z; T  ^' j+ z/ X> 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
  \2 o( N' F. u> 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
> 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
# P" w4 Q- g" E3 {, Q! g: [> next at bat.
>
% M. p# K2 R8 }8 m( w9 Y7 ]> 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
  S6 j# }$ P1 q: T: B8 l: U+ g) e> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
) z; W) L, Q% Y7 e- _> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
) h, D, y, f) }# U1 n) E" ~/ 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
4 S* q( ?0 F7 c- {> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
- x% u/ S* q  p1 X0 m7 J% l9 J> 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.
>
/ y, E0 b7 k' ~' V2 s3 B/ Y" N> 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
# M% {0 x# r3 a. R* Y7 K> 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
/ D: O* Y5 u, W$ l> 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
$ v2 o+ ]; j6 P8 k6 {+ r5 q, z( o> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
6 k9 E/ Z" Y3 P# W! i8 Q> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> 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
! Q! d* s8 v- d$ t> 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 o5 n( ]  N6 v- w. M; }1 @2 U> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
- k/ X' C* M  B; J) C+ ]> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
+ A) O" L' d7 V4 g. w0 b% G. o> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ j" N6 a$ I* ]$ F> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
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> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
9 p- f& g+ g) @! l2 T$ a> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
# ?" C* s  y" ]( M" E3 S> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
( ~+ ~' \2 q* X2 @7 @6 V$ _9 B( ]9 k> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
" K2 G5 q3 N4 V- D8 T' S> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
3 }2 B0 L3 P0 z> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
9 H/ M) b0 ~( t% L* Y3 p8 C9 M> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
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> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
% M+ g( x# _$ |" i9 q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
+ h2 ~; Z' a) s; S" u/ [/ R3 O> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
9 ?4 B: _) @2 W  `4 o4 T> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
* u8 p. _5 S8 |) H1 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
) N! N6 c3 O( u) B> 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 s" o6 C' L1 d- h# N8 q> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
8 J5 W3 l8 d* F> 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
8 P, _5 \' J& c7 S7 N' b/ s3 E> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
% f) `8 R; _$ a0 g1 D, g> May your day, be a Shay Day.