Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
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2 e! @' j- v3 G> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
' G% r: z7 u$ Z  D. Z# t! ?> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
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> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
+ o% a4 _, E% P8 c& L- L> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
> staff, he offered a question:
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> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
1 {" [( y1 u/ m" q: C- @> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
0 Q; T/ ~" B8 {* t2 @) C& F> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
2 a4 X8 S: `. W3 c0 `$ {1 d> 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
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
) c9 m- n6 v% q2 Y  p' i2 g> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
0 |4 @# P: E7 X  |> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
6 d( K2 R' \, v  X6 K( F, A$ q> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
! ]' V; B% X; J2 k0 M  [  X> 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.
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> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
/ r5 P0 G2 ]' H, i  m" a9 X* ^0 ?> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
' g( t; m* y0 V: s# q  Y> 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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  R6 m$ V+ _! I! ?> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
9 f- p5 z+ \9 I/ t9 e> 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
/ y; h2 [' v1 n" {> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
7 Y6 U7 G) N/ v3 y, g# s! F> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
; f' G& Q+ H4 d* E> 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
7 f* G* Q* X2 }) q* Q; {3 [> next at bat.
>
, K* Z- y8 _7 l  `) R- G  ^* p> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
. E6 B& h! Z+ z1 F8 m* ]1 A> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
- C: c1 z8 C( f/ n0 J5 ^> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
) P. ^! B0 P0 R0 |7 D> 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
8 l& [) v+ ~8 {8 }6 f1 A' J, s> 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
0 N- I& i0 D- a; |! ~7 t+ |5 D> 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
( G0 g/ @0 S* Y5 A& z> right back to the pitcher.
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: Z+ ^; c- K1 _) e4 p/ N> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
) F3 }1 ^$ D- c9 M# X5 l> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
0 q  Q' ], F/ B9 u4 q4 ^> 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
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
! H; B4 F' a7 z$ x# Z. N! |> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
( G3 |5 q5 j7 C, A: ]> 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
0 W9 ]9 U4 N- U8 \$ E8 t> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
* F; I3 t1 }1 C; E> 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
( Q( f" o1 M$ v> 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
7 I0 o' s% g  R% U  g% L4 g0 r> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
9 @9 ^: V- n! Q' @) ^> circled the bases toward home.
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, A# V# B, R8 p3 N9 Z8 T1 P> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
" A5 I" ^2 Z! Z, ^' O/ R> 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
& G2 ]: H) b/ F7 f! i! U> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
> game for his team.
>
5 L& M6 l5 x+ g' F. }9 Q4 U> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. M1 d( x0 ~2 D4 T$ d> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
9 M- Q! }/ [# O> into this world'.
>
& b% a" a  [8 w9 [: i/ u4 M> 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
- |4 W1 W4 t6 [% K2 r/ S, E2 F6 v# B, ~> 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
$ r: {2 ~' S$ z/ }% }> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
& g' m1 z* m( F& y9 I> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
. H  g2 |2 q% w8 B, F; i> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
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> 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
$ D5 }/ A2 z5 H: ]& j) D> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
" u+ J. b' |/ G3 {- s1 ~! j) {% 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+ K& o# [- [7 t3 p: i2 ^> 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
3 X" l1 m) O6 g5 W# O5 L4 e> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
> bit colder in the process?
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% ~6 ^2 U! I; R: k( q. v0 f> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
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8 q% y2 {# Y% W. V+ `> May your day, be a Shay Day.