Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
5 m0 e3 L- ?) v) T2 c3 u> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
) X2 j! b% x; W! y$ R> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
5 W. Y5 W. }& `# N> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
- h2 ]0 k9 V5 T4 t. K> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
$ U2 {* w7 f8 e9 K- Q. q+ z> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
5 e5 W3 \$ }; F6 k: b7 x( Q: G. p> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
> 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
7 O5 Z, \3 I+ ^$ ^. `- N> natural order of things in my son?'
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> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
' K$ {$ `# h! R7 k$ B: v3 @> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
* n( {' g2 j8 t> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) j  y2 b/ U# h" T* K# M  I> treat that child.'
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> 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
> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
& N( E  ~4 t( D> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
  j. |4 l" ~" q* n* }: d4 y> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
, ?' _" N3 T; @. \> 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
$ Z# d" n. H. G5 v! \> 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
7 G3 i/ Y2 j- z5 U/ `( h> 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
- x7 }! P# q4 `* v" N& v> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
5 s. d0 y0 o: X" R) B' H) x8 q> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
) e$ _% S( D0 E> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
: o. y+ M8 y2 j> 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
, G  q) S; h5 f6 d7 P2 g% ~> next at bat.
>
* P7 k% M5 Z+ f6 N9 i  @+ C> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
; ^6 \! k. j- a4 f( T/ |: l, v: G/ x> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
; R- X' W/ M- n" B/ J4 T> 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
/ J4 R) u8 q& C* m> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
! V" E3 U# Z$ L% Y/ Q6 v> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
( ]3 l& d& [& M  F& ~" k4 X> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
4 @7 y( V6 O' [> 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
7 |$ {) a+ f' d/ r1 S> out and that would have been the end of the game.
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) J3 O+ O- k/ U8 L2 E> 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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4 W/ f% |; V2 y> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
& ?. O" k' s& M/ M; I+ T> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
8 v0 P) G" C  d1 |3 ~0 ?> 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
: {% Z% {% T) B; y2 w- Q> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
6 y% h3 `, G6 D/ F* ?; [1 F8 r> 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
3 m1 h( j" {* F> circled the bases toward home.
>
# E1 m% v( ^4 L2 a; ]% y> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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9 a& j5 e6 V) ^* H> 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!'
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8 V& K3 t1 K% K3 c) w> 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
- S; |4 j6 V2 |% O> 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,
# u; b% o! H4 X2 b# t1 U> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
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> 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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9 t$ F/ W/ a4 H0 s  ]2 y> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
1 c3 h$ e- m' i. h> 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
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
. h# M0 ~( q8 v  i) j% L( G> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
/ j( Z" x% h1 U; Z* f% H  Q1 v$ D> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
: D4 [) z- ~6 e! U0 S> '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
  f3 x0 z% `# Y- N> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
$ q/ P$ n+ J4 p6 Q" ]0 C> 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?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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8 B) z4 M, q7 {/ Q# v> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
6 c% t4 f) G& F6 I> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.