Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
2 ?5 U9 q: m+ q% q! _# b: j> 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
' ?, Q4 c+ t8 I> same choice?
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1 V/ w2 G0 B) j; L0 ?> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# W& {# E' B! Z4 |> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
1 b* b# b. J! t! W! F> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
3 h/ ^. ?$ P( L; Z- \' g> staff, he offered a question:
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2 J/ v. G8 v/ S2 X> '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
' f' ?9 X* l6 q2 @> natural order of things in my son?'
>
1 {. n, Q" v$ s; u/ F( h& x> The audience was stilled by the query.
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' \6 @- f$ a. n  L6 i1 N* _+ l. j> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
: K. m) d8 i0 V: [' w9 B> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
9 w+ R' i& C6 q8 w; f> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
, p6 ~/ L; U: N3 F5 a> Then he told the following story:
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7 \( b# r4 l% K; c, Y) `> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
% _0 R$ y- T5 B" P1 f> 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,
5 W4 q7 O4 W* M! T> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
" G) ]  F8 `. U' D4 x, ?! G8 ?> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
  ?; F' u# [# V2 T! P9 U& X! g> 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
: C. J. C: M7 s0 I+ w3 c> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
6 t; A' W- w, B0 @& s> inning.'
>
$ \# K: d- y2 r  I7 Y; k> 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
$ H) }# r! m8 m5 A) 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
9 X% u& y2 _; T8 @/ {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
5 _% G" ?; V' f. ~> 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
0 @' l; s& |+ R! 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
$ I+ N. q" m+ V- U9 d/ _> next at bat.
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> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
* V* h* e0 Z0 f, }3 O> 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,
0 [7 Q* K5 S( h; l9 e5 U. L' |> much less connect with the ball.
' B# B6 F7 f. q3 P: @> 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 z' S: x# T5 D> 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
; O& P+ @: h; ~7 W" x* v> right back to the pitcher.
>
) y/ B1 r; a( Q2 n% |0 L2 g3 n> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
* Z  y$ M5 [) q; ?6 t  r. H* f> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
* e' \% p0 j8 {* O: L# @3 y6 I7 x> 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.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
  W) `$ I+ v; O& Z' C4 [$ y+ e, e$ X> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ c( Z; d1 |& P: V$ M2 U6 {> 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
, G6 \' P0 V. D8 ?. R; k9 }4 z> 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,
7 Z+ _: L6 o- ?; W> 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.
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8 ~% J2 Y3 T4 b4 P5 X' R5 E> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
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4 v) r3 |, [0 `8 U> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
+ o, f  O$ K! b" Y* Y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
3 `4 n" i6 T. {7 g& U- @, H! p> Shay, run to third!'
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0 E! A2 t. k( {" i; b> 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
> game for his team.
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! b. Z# B6 R! ~> '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
. |' Q- H  k" e> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
0 a+ N3 j+ }4 l7 ?9 a& \3 C! `> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
* V5 @' q( p, W. Z4 S5 {* F> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
. b3 N8 f2 L6 I$ i0 ^> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
6 e% I/ S9 R( U, O) B> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> 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
> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
! L0 B  V8 }6 V1 N2 z> 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
4 b# j- T( |0 f* o# C> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
) ?- L4 W8 E6 g8 y& C/ \" s) l> 1. Delete
# @/ \/ `4 a/ r& m) X" N> 2. Forward
>
0 `/ z9 I( O. }/ C( s3 \> May your day, be a Shay Day.