Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
3 p  i8 }- p# m' c3 s/ t> 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
  [+ {5 B7 I$ D$ m& W" R& A+ u> same choice?
+ A* E: b' w! j>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
# ]3 U7 I, H% {3 |> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
& e3 h. P- M9 h& C. F: P0 I> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
9 K& r% C" i9 G. F5 x> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
  U- z' J1 Z8 @$ x> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
' I0 T+ s' [1 C0 }4 N> natural order of things in my son?'
6 l# ]  j1 }% M>
0 e8 H) b% T: o9 R# d. i> The audience was stilled by the query.
! o6 \0 ^5 c* D>
. ]0 w* d" g3 \* V> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
6 L( _% p/ \* j* H/ H. G> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) r8 ?! b) ~! [, M) c( B: [> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
- q1 ?9 S9 K2 Z: _> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
3 X( {2 t, A" W+ U: O4 h> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
# |0 z' O4 w, a( s4 n0 b; ^; y6 e> 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,
> 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
% }' F% [. n1 |, P* L5 a1 f> 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
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
+ N: @6 R5 w. F+ l> inning.'
6 G9 }! X! j% w& |& o0 l% I>
" f8 T. [: S4 ~6 ?" T> 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
8 z: K' J( F7 U9 u+ `# r1 A+ a> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
, O4 X9 L" I$ z3 l0 ^& r> 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
0 I6 R6 G9 I; v! g7 }9 G> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' `) m9 r& L+ \5 L2 q3 l> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
  z( K. Y, s3 t+ c+ |+ K2 @  y> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
2 n. N% }3 e: `7 J/ f% q> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
6 p) j7 P0 a- o  N> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
- ^! b8 {) A3 |) V2 V> next at bat.
6 R, }# d, L3 h2 I>
> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
4 y& [. T3 }2 d4 M9 \7 u> 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,
+ k* ?% J- l, V% m5 P> 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
, |2 \; f5 b( O: v> 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
' Y/ n; S" I* B' j  b7 p2 @3 M> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
9 |- A0 j" r% l# V' m4 [/ H> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
>
* ~+ h; v& s: r! t> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
" r2 s  h( K. k$ J: l0 a& P& k6 s8 V> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
+ C+ o8 t' ]2 i. }/ Q+ a* |> 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
' r- c2 Q; Q1 O$ P> 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,
1 \* l" G% V: r/ i/ n1 P> wide-eyed and startled.
>
' ~" |( C/ G. g3 x  V0 f% Z> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
6 Y! Z- F6 K; _* n8 m+ S) p> 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
> 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,
) a& {* W! K& [2 U. ]> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
, _! c9 ~: r8 T( [! u3 U> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
- A* c* d% x" m! e7 U  Y7 O> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
7 q' Y5 d7 U* y> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
> 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
7 p/ z  y3 A. g# ^) D/ u4 H' T> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
- d" a5 G4 w# h7 |; q" A* E> game for his team.
$ r- ^" O, e# j& z>
( {2 \- K4 i, u" b/ w3 c, ]> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
+ W' S% D! z6 N> '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
) r* d' v* f# \6 |# f5 ?> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
( k  W, v' t9 K9 b0 ?> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
% M1 V* k. C# q; U6 T& H% @% L>
> 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
; ~7 r2 l& F) j4 j' ?> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
6 {- [3 S& x4 A! K; u( s9 [. g: `> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
- E. q2 Y8 I7 ?) l( j( {>
> 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
. w- r5 E1 @; H% q& m  J> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
7 s- K' s, t  D$ D( d" Q- {> 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
/ e+ r6 v8 i, r6 k! j% z> 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
" s& \* s. X' e4 M> bit colder in the process?
>
> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
* |! J: i+ r; V; V4 }% E> You now have two choices:
' s" }, G2 W* X/ K! P9 f> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
, a- }' q" N7 j, ~> May your day, be a Shay Day.