Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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9 k% n0 M" Y3 [' W# X# x> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
+ [& q% m: {3 V% n( }> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
( a! W; c& t. U  P+ x' K* o/ f> same choice?
>
- V: F& I5 D! |. a  J> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
) @4 |# b) l" E5 k> 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
+ |2 @6 h4 Q% ?# h0 C2 |> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
( J- V8 i2 ^6 x> 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?'
>
# P: L7 o0 ?5 E5 O1 Z> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
1 c' Y1 J5 e  T% K: @5 n0 V  P> 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
> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
7 T% c6 z2 G. `9 L+ z$ ], u9 F> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
" z5 g8 `5 ]# Z> 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
$ C; ?: V/ Z0 s2 K! @6 U! K( M% x> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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; g: x) G" G! {* }) h) l> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
1 S9 L+ J* i- B> 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
6 G6 p$ Z& W9 d: j> 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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' A2 w) G5 g6 w8 O# @  S  k; o. O> 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
! {$ n. S' C* p9 s7 u& d> 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
/ C% t+ i' y, H7 L+ P4 k# O& w> 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
! @/ F* n3 D4 J> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
" F3 a. f4 f* a( U4 w4 M> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
/ n: o! ?1 A, b4 t> next at bat.
>
1 C# ~9 X  Y8 m& }1 K9 D> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
' i! ]- T+ Z9 I4 J# u7 k7 K. k> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
  l' u1 g6 e# \3 s> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
7 Z" `  e4 S4 `1 u$ ^% W. K1 ^> 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
> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
* w8 ^% T1 x' }& \> 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
& J+ K1 G- M5 h% P" {1 Q8 _7 l1 M> right back to the pitcher.
>
5 ]( U" ~+ ~" U: L. _> 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
0 `1 [9 [! U6 y4 C> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
& R: ]/ ]: q  h$ ^) T' U! k> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
$ S8 l, M9 ~& n0 w7 ?> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
2 E. u1 B- [- F3 h> 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
, R! B, k8 Y4 T8 D4 k* T> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
8 [$ w5 j& n2 w$ I> 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
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
8 E; X4 X! D( w- K6 [0 O! q) _> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
/ j3 y( x+ R- M; ^! }6 o1 a> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
8 B! w0 \- l7 f> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
5 }$ A* [5 J# ]/ V6 z% Z- t1 B. R> Shay, run to third!'
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3 \! `& c. S5 f> 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
/ f2 B1 l& g' y( S& \2 s+ b> 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
> into this world'.
>
% ^" @% q% q+ s. ^2 I> 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
  y, O& b2 \! Y8 Q> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
) K' ]# {/ r' y) Z9 ]! U> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 a# m6 U4 c( g> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
+ A$ U, |; x2 v& \( O> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> 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
5 l4 Y  l( l* M+ b# E$ N> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
1 H" ]% r0 r$ z9 e* ]- p2 k> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
7 v& A* n% n4 w, Y> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
* X  B1 R" \2 \9 u! Q6 Y> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
- x, x, W1 z  m7 e> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
7 l  w* @; t# m3 f7 R# m, {" k> bit colder in the process?
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* |! q/ O/ E4 h* Z9 X> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 F7 a: d1 N+ {> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
2 a' W& U1 q0 ^7 K5 L> 2. Forward
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2 f/ X( O* H4 Q0 R( `, o/ U$ I> May your day, be a Shay Day.