Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
. x5 w, k# p# G4 g$ ~> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
$ \5 Q0 Z6 A7 U, W> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> 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
& O8 p' M3 A* B8 `> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
2 `& }- X8 U* Y* o1 B> 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
> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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" `, z  d+ l: X. {' o0 v# B* p> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
! L- C( e, y7 R( k8 m- K) t> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
, V: F' V! s3 e> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
3 X/ `2 I9 |' |3 d> treat that child.'
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> Then he told the following story:
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7 z( \' Y' `- Q) J2 `& @$ U8 z0 S> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
0 Z4 m1 J2 t( S, G& c0 q> 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,
+ c; g4 ~; O5 N( I' _> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
; r2 k, o0 h3 H# G& f> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. W; m# ?! N# g6 |4 o" G> 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
9 D9 u' D* i, F6 n: V- D> 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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> 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
! l4 L$ b7 a9 w+ |> 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
: b% O2 z* K' O- I9 R2 t% F> 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
6 Q) p+ V; S3 O& e6 ^> 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
> next at bat.
>
> 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
) \9 X7 v4 {5 z! D* K" M& o> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
% {7 o5 z! a4 y2 z* W1 L> 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
1 F/ I7 R0 r4 W5 S3 Z: Q> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
, Z; }; p# n0 Y5 p8 s- v> 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.
' v2 z: x3 f+ }: Y6 b" H> 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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) p/ k7 s: @6 P3 A1 {' S> 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.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
# l2 t* m) s( w, r1 J> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
: O! [7 x9 s0 I. E, ?2 S8 z> 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,
5 B. P( n! c+ j  K+ k' T> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
5 w4 q" J8 T2 Z  {! ^9 u> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 a& q+ E2 ?% \1 @> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
  d* y2 V1 j' A$ v7 B> 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,
2 U9 {) I+ Q$ }) d1 [> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
( A, O% q$ R: x/ y9 H> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
( P/ Q2 f8 L' ~  V2 D1 ~> circled the bases toward home.
>
" g: A. v5 W8 l* U* ~. S6 j1 {, Y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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. c& E! P! y2 a3 q4 W( K/ Z> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
) ]% d2 i# c* i5 `, d! q$ W> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
: u; ^( m( O7 P4 T> Shay, run to third!'
>
* K) {  M* K" L> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
7 p  x% S6 `/ J8 _> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
* K9 R4 E- G: L6 W7 m> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
$ r* x9 m( q% }! m7 ?* C2 n: @, \! o> game for his team.
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! y4 d  W& I( ^! N' @> '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'.
>
> 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!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
5 \3 I9 p4 R+ l- u) o> 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
1 m3 s( Y7 u1 V. e> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
* T! d% t0 S9 z> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ \" B. q! {* X  f> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
+ u+ g! r# ]; x> 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
" \( {  x  v: V> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
: |4 C" [- A: ]7 n1 E: U> You now have two choices:
* }! v/ O3 ^& u/ _$ L> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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- p- V' N  {4 s; e0 ]) X5 ~2 U( O> May your day, be a Shay Day.