Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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! i, C3 O! L& X# Q0 o! x# u> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
6 f" k  W: ~. Z# h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
3 H4 _0 h! @0 g> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
& }4 w3 T  ~9 }* a9 |> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
5 U' J+ P: o. ^  x1 O$ f5 E5 Y> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
% m/ m0 Z7 h  K- @) k' q- [9 r> staff, he offered a question:
>
) ~  C) f; c. H" r> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
, {! _- T( W- t2 s8 Y" v5 m> 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?'
>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
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> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
( G2 |% d: k4 S9 \> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
: i* J: B8 `$ L( j$ O0 p> treat that child.'
>
  C  s4 Z+ e7 P, r% l> 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
; J+ s- Z  h/ ~2 s- U> 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
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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. f8 E$ ^7 w6 ]  `# I" w$ j> 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
$ p; W" F3 V1 O% H) R0 \2 D> 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
> inning.'
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5 {6 }; V7 d* i' I; 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
> 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
0 z  k/ R" h: O' {# j> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
8 S! u" Z! G# R: b  V: p> 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
7 Q, S5 e( u1 u$ u5 p> 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.
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' o" l$ v6 R) K/ H, Z2 Y> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 C/ z! L' k, a9 N* H2 {& }> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
3 C! ]  V9 [; A5 a) C> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
9 W3 }# S5 z1 Q3 G2 W> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
1 s9 W# d: v$ B# W  i. E- D% M" g. O> 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
, Z7 R( S; h1 Z0 Z9 A4 E/ P0 w> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
: v! s& r& k4 h" {! I1 Y> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
2 M6 q  Y0 J' |# E5 [> 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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> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
: g+ b, g0 r! _> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
3 J8 ]# B3 o- u$ K4 i6 A; _2 D> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
/ U5 A2 d- N7 ~> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
8 T0 o* k# d+ u  k$ x; J> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
0 ]6 ^) X% S! _5 R6 Z4 q- ~/ V2 w> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
3 v4 |9 U, ?) S6 g8 E; q. \> 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
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
5 m* p$ G. d7 r' [, S- }* y> 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
1 S2 E; G% N( l! O> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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' X' Q6 F+ H9 B> 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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> 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
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
0 m4 T5 k- i5 L; j' G6 r# m9 {/ [> game for his team.
>
> '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
! _! R% ~# H# q! g, c6 ~2 `> into this world'.
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  }% j( _8 Z6 X9 X/ E> 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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2 ], F! R2 Q5 h& l  y! f% X: e> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
2 v/ i- S- ?; T1 I! K' q> 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 Z6 ]7 r: r) f# `, j> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
3 Y: t8 C- F: m0 s1 ?# G> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 S# O2 b9 D! a> 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
' g' k7 S9 }9 `/ [5 ?2 I> 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
( Q( T9 Q$ w* ]) s: b/ d2 ?> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
$ C1 N" W! U( W) {> 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
) j5 _  T& z. b> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
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% i. `! N: {9 }0 f> You now have two choices:
; v2 n) {" q3 K- H. }: z7 F> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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> May your day, be a Shay Day.