Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> 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$ }6 Z1 z1 v. d5 M3 ]: q& K> same choice?
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! U( v$ c) ?4 s' `4 K> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# {* a7 i& w! R! [, R> 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
% L9 W9 S3 |3 ]! W8 C> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
* V9 t7 S! W* y- i  x; h> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
; P* r$ |4 J. M, P1 |> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
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# S3 V' t, x$ l" @> The audience was stilled by the query.
# b* j* G% @/ ~: G# U, ?( H9 T>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
+ Z; \4 h1 a! I5 |* u> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
1 _" f. |* j5 k0 s! H; q  C> Then he told the following story:
>
" y) g* H) f" |& t; n( f% K7 I> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
( o$ x: d  E  X> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
& z, z2 E4 Y2 i/ B1 }> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! Z8 d+ K& P4 S! a  q4 n6 @0 q! n/ r> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
% C+ G# C) `+ k; k, f/ v3 F> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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6 y2 Y  h# U! S6 a$ s& [- V> 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
9 w+ b; `, J% K3 A3 a1 f$ f> 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
& }' A0 N! D2 h% g+ C  `0 z> inning.'
>
, l7 r. J* m, D3 o/ d> 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
2 M: v# s" ^  B- ~1 v4 _> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
9 E+ i! g* r+ F2 S> 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
  ]9 {# K, e# a) b1 p( U  y: T> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
5 x1 ?/ p3 r* K* f" [> 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
' g2 \( Y) Z: l1 z7 q- F* d> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
, U  u# v' V9 j& w* w7 C7 }> 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,
> 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
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
0 K8 Z& a6 p5 S> 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
> 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.
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5 e3 ?; U2 v& H' c5 R  I( `$ x> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
8 n  x+ o4 [3 g# H: g" c> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
9 U1 z+ K8 d+ P6 [, C7 w& `7 P) b> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  {+ L! i. ^$ U3 ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
- y  x& W# K( R' n2 h. O* c) ?% {: n# o> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
' d  x9 n+ e3 e5 H$ 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
' m7 f$ I! K& j8 ~> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 ]8 u  j. i* [6 W, {" E6 i% P* [> 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
( _. j0 ^5 i" m9 i! L8 ?7 a> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> 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!'
>
9 k  I; `) O7 E: N1 Y> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
: n: X7 y/ @* D, L6 b! }> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
. |" X: B( N: z> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
* R4 A5 x9 n" ^, c  z" s; E> 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
, [  {0 z: h8 X  m> into this world'.
>
> 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
8 h# m. q( Z, m" A/ U5 r> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
; i9 v+ E0 x4 s' D' s# Y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
" j8 k# r: L6 z" k) a, D2 E" q5 P> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
; q' G7 Z. Y( Z  X" K, I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
3 w* z1 s* G: J% a  z>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
2 r6 u! Y3 c' @: E5 W' ^> 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
> 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
> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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> A wise man once said every society is judged by
, ]4 E( C- j8 [- y> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
  I: a- k3 b* s2 r8 n> 1. Delete
4 f2 [' O, Y$ _> 2. Forward
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  x& U& N- Z& A> May your day, be a Shay Day.